Naomi Lee has been elected as the class of 2022’s senior board president. She previously served as President of the Junior Board and the Sophomore Board. She began working with ASB as a sophomore and will continue to do so as a senior.
What better way to get to know the upcoming Senior Board President than through a Q & A. We’re looking to learn more about her future plans, learn a little about her and her objectives for the upcoming year of high school.
In what ways do you think your responsibilities will change from junior to senior year president?
I was thinking about this a lot and I believe it’s going to change drastically. Most people might think that it’s going to be the same job and same responsibilities but I think it will be different for a variety of reasons.
One, we are coming out of the pandemic, and looking back I’m a little bit disappointed because I feel like there was more than I could have done.
I believe the senior year is where it really happens and I think I’ll have a lot more responsibilities because the senior events are coming and have to be completed.
I’m very excited about the responsibilities because I honestly enjoy speaking with administrators and coordinating all the events. I think it helps that I have a background in ASB.
How has your experience in ASB helped you prepare for this position?
I think being in the class for the past two years helped. In terms of leadership skills, Mr. Ferrin does a great job of teaching students the qualities needed to be a great leader. For example, We have to do LDD’s or Leadership development days in his class. We read a prompt, watch ted talks and talk about issues with one another. Reaching out to teachers and administrators is part of the ASB job and I think that experience helps me feel comfortable to do that for the senior board too.
Do you feel more pressure as our senior board president?
Definitely, It’s super important to raise money in your Freshman and sophomore years because you’re raising money for your senior year.
The senior year deadline puts a lot more pressure on me as the president.
What’s different in your senior year is that stuff actually has to happen. You have to have a prom and other events because that’s what you have been looking forward to. I want to do my job so that people can really enjoy their senior year and have the time that seniors have been thinking about since their freshman year.
How will you work better than in the previous years as president?
I think that since the past few years, communication has been lacking. I’m not trying to throw shade at anyone but as a whole, the junior class was lacking in spirit and communication. I felt like no one was taking initiative and I’m partially to blame for that. I really believe I could have done more in my junior year, but I’m looking forward to reaching out more and advertising. I’m looking forward to hosting more fundraisers because it’s just an easy way to get more money.
I just want to get our senior year to be more exciting and get our class passionate.
Do you think that the “senior year deadline” will create more school spirit for the class of 2022?
I really hope so because since it’s senior year, things will definitely be happening. A lot of it comes down to the board but we can only do so much. I feel like a lot of people believe it should be all left up to the board, but I see it more as a two-way street. People have to attend the fundraisers and spread the word because four people can only do so much.
Which senior event are you most excited about?
I think prom because that’s the one that we all look forward to. Prom is the main event that you’re raising money for. Seeing it all come together at the end and all the hard work makes it a very special event. Also special because a lot of the seniors have made college decisions and have a chance to look back on their four years.
What would be your dream prom theme?
Something city-related. It’s cliché, but I love LA and NYC.
Are you team LA or team NYC since they are very different-looking cities?
LA definitely isn’t your typical city. Since our school is in L.A, it makes sense to have a theme related to our city- like Hollywood.
I’ve learned that even though this is a theme that I would want, it’s very important to get input from other students and find out what they want. If it’s something that the people choose, the event has a greater chance of participation which is why that input is so important.
What are some events or school fundraisers that you would want to plan for the senior year?
One thing I want to start doing is hosting restaurant fundraisers. The least we can do is have collaborations with fast-food restaurants. I definitely want these now because I’ve seen ASB and other clubs being able to do that, and I want to get at least one event for our senior board too. My main consideration is to pick places that are closest to the school because I know a lot of the students live nearby.
My other plan is to start merchandise, hopefully over this summer. We tried that in the sophomore year but it didn’t go so well . I would want sweatshirts, t-shirts, and maybe even bucket hats.
Mainly merchandise and fundraisers are my ideas that I have now.
How will merchandise be handled differently now with the knowledge of your attempt during the sophomore year?
I think just getting the word out more on designs and giving students more time to actually buy them. I want to give people more time to think of designs and make their own because I remember a lot of people felt like they didn’t like the designs.
Spreading the word is the most we can do.
How are you going to spread the word?
During this past election, I utilized email a lot. I could probably ask for a huge email list and send out a senior board newsletter for our class with all of the information. I think it really helped my election because people might have seen the emails and decided to vote for me.
Also, Schoology announcements help a lot.
Instagram and Remind are good apps but we only have a fraction of the juniors on those accounts.
What will be your working relationship with the ASB president?
I’m actually very excited because the ASB president Namrata and I have been in ASB together since sophomore year. She is really great at talking and taking initiative in ASB. I think we will at least try to collaborate together.
You have worked with two of the current elected members before on the junior board, how do you think your group dynamic will change with the new treasurer?
I didn’t know the treasurer Claire before, but I’m very excited to meet someone new. I’m not sure what magnet she’s in but if she is in a residential area that could be helpful to encourage many residential students to engage in the events too. I really want to try and get more residential kids to participate in events and follow us on social media.
How will ASB help the senior board accomplish its goals?
Mr. Ferrin is the dedicated sponsor for every senior board that cycles through. Usually, we have to find our own sponsors but they changed that this past year.
The sponsor for every year of high school will stay the same. Every Freshman board will be sponsored by Ms. Alvarez. Every Sophomore board by Mr. Doctor and every junior board by Ms. Shim.
I think it helps a lot to have Mr. Ferrin be our sponsor because he is familiar with how events work and has experience with previous years. His prior knowledge will really help us figure out what to do.
What is your advice for next year’s freshman, sophomore, junior board president?
Generally speaking, High school goes by so fast. People tell you that in freshman year but you only realize that as you go through high school. Just do all the fundraisers possible. For me, I kept telling myself I would wait and push off my responsibilities till the next year. I told myself that we would have an awesome junior year, but we were at home the whole school year.
Start from the beginning and make connections and friendships. The friendships won’t always last but those connections are important especially if you want to be president.
