The transition from middle school to high school is a huge shock to an adolescent’s system, and they don’t often handle change well. Starting high school involves big changes: a new, large campus; lots of new and familiar faces; pressure from adults about your life path; harder classes as well as numerous extracurriculars to do; and that dreaded time in your life when your body and mind drastically change. Growing up is hard, but Freshman Vice President Anne Madea Aguilar hasn’t let this deter her.

“So far, I would describe [my experience on campus] as really stressful but there are times when I would want to stay on campus for longer,” she said. “I think that transitioning from middle school to high school is a big change for me and I think that I’m handling it well, even though it’s been stressful and wild.”

Aguilar is determined to start her high school career on the right foot with big dreams to chase. Despite not having any leadership experience prior to this year, she “wanted to be more involved with school and try new and different things for a change since [she] wasn’t really an active student in my last school”. She aims to use the vice president position to make freshmen feel more comfortable on campus and included in school events. Her desire to try new things and the fear of losing her friends after high school motivates her to create strong bonds within the freshman class that will last a lifetime. 

Hopefully we’ll see Aguilar’s name make a reappearance on the Armijo Signal as an ASB officer in the future, but, for now, her mind is set on simply getting through high school and building her leadership skills. Aguilar believes that “being able to cooperate with others even if you don’t get along with them” and “willing to learn new and different things” are some essential traits for an exceptional leader to possess. Although she embodies those qualities now, Aguilar is committed to maintaining and improving them throughout her high school career. After high school, however, she would like to attend a college with a good writing program, become a professional athlete, a journalist, or an author. The sky’s the limit when you’re the freshman vice president!