DGS presidents campaign their way to success throughout the school. With so many activity options, organizations require strong leadership, something that club presidents strive to achieve.
Senior Lily Kelliher is the president of Student Council and Key Club. She acts as the legislative, executive and judicial branch for both groups. While she doesn’t have to deal with the House of Representatives, Kelliher faces many obstacles in her role as president.
“Planning and developing new ideas and trying to branch out is always a challenge. Managing communication, time-management between different events and delegating different activities can all be a challenge,” Kelliher said.
Despite these difficulties, Kelliher finds her leadership positions to be rewarding. She is able to make an impact on the school community as a whole and inspire individual students.
“Being able to see students grow out of their shells and become more unified as individual leaders, and watching the school develop a much better sense of community is so fun to see,” Kelliher said.
Social studies department chair Chris Esposito also acts as a Student Council moderator. He commented on Kelliher’s abilities as a leader.
“She is an amazing listener. She’s caring about the people directly in her circle, but she’s also caring about the school at large and how she can make the experience better for everybody, and I think that’s really powerful,” Esposito said.
While some may think that being the president of two clubs is more absurd than the Democrats and Republicans agreeing on an issue, Esposito believes that Kelliher’s experiences in both of her organizations make her a better role model.
“I think that cross-over between Student Council and her leadership in Key Club goes a long way toward trying to make DGS better for everybody who’s here,” Esposito said.
Senior Estee Raceala is president of Book Club. She is responsible for recruiting new members, promoting the club and leading meetings.
“We like to just discuss books and have fun, and I feel like that’s a pretty good accomplishment,” Raceala said.
Librarian Stephanie Beck is one of the Book Club sponsors. She sees many attributes in Raceala that make her fit to be president.
“She is an avid reader. Her enthusiasm for sharing books. And she is always interested in what other people have to say, her genuine curiosity [makes her a good leader],” Beck said.
Raceala is tasked with starting conversations surrounding books and facilitating discussion throughout meetings. This can be challenging when members are not talkative, but Raceala perseveres more than a White House intern. She offered some advice to future club presidents facing adversity.
“Don’t be scared to take on the responsibility. Even if you think that you can’t do it, you can. Just because you feel that you have to limit yourself, or you feel like you’re not up to it, try it out and see how it is because I know that you will like it,” Raceala said.
DGS club presidents have one thing in common–they rise to the occasion and work to make the school a better place. With every adjourned meeting, these leaders are making their impact on students and the community.
