ASB Candidate Interviews: Vice President

Yvonne Chen

Smoke Signal: What are some things you hope to accomplish as Vice President in the upcoming school year? What makes you stand out from the other candidates?

Yvonne Chen: One trait that I believe is critical for my position, and something that allows me to stand out from other candidates is my experience, which is something that I value as a leader. Leadership has always been my passion. Ever since elementary school, I ran for president and dedicated myself to motivating and helping my peers. Growing up in such a fortunate community, I’ve learned to give back and help others. I’ve been a class officer for three years now, from class secretary to president, and I have what it takes to go up another step into ASB, and help not only my class, but the whole school.

SS: What is the most difficult obstacle you’ve encountered and how did you handle it?

YC: An obstacle that I believe relates to my leadership experience that I had to get over is public speaking. A couple of years back, I had trouble speaking to large groups. I would stutter, stammer, shut down, look at the ground, and become paralyzed with fear. It took me a while, but after a few years, with lots of practice and support from my friends, I learned how to overcome this fear. I realized that I’m not all by myself! The whole audience is with you and is there to listen to you. If I could give one piece of advice for someone who is struggling in learning/trying something new, it would be: you’re not always going to do well; there will be off days and on days, but as long as you try your best, you can’t blame yourself for anything.

SS: What do you think is the most important role of an ASB VP?

YC: The job of the vice president is to manage more than 80 clubs unique to Mission, to disband inactive clubs, and to work with officers of various clubs and organizations to appeal to the whole student body. What do you use when you don’t want to carry your books the whole day? Your locker! Another question: Who helped you decide which locker is yours? The Vice president! At orientation, you might recall standing in line, finding a locker buddy, or waiting to see which locker is yours. ASB VP uses a locker system online that helps arrange these lockers and assigns a student to them. Something that inspired me to be involved in this process is just the thought of bringing the whole student body together as a whole, whether with clubs or events.

SS: What made you want to run for this position? What past experiences do you think will help you in this position?

YC: As I stated before, leadership has always been my passion. Being the captain of many sports teams, such as volleyball, soccer, and basketball, I’ve learned how to be a leader not just on the court, but off the court too. This year, I’ve also had the pleasure of being a part of Mike Honda’s Student Advisory Council. Working with so many inspirational students and leaders, I’ve gained skills that I believe I can apply to help our school. Being a class officer for three years now (two years as class secretary and one year as class president), I’ve worked with numerous students and staff to try to help our class reach our best potential. Working with Leadership II this year has also added on to my experience as a leader. I’ve participated and organized many events in my high school career, and I think this has helped shape me into who I am today!

 

 

Zuhayer Quazi

Smoke Signal: What are some things you hope to accomplish as ASB VP in the upcoming school year? What makes you stand out from the other candidates?

Zuhayer Quazi: As ASB Vice President, my main goals are to speed up the overall locker distribution process, get rid of inactive clubs, and make the club management system much more efficient. The main role of ASB VP is to manage clubs and lockers. I am currently an officer of four clubs and a member of Leadership II Tech, so I’ve worked closely with clubs at MSJ, as well as the locker distribution system, so I know where we can improve. I’m also a varsity soccer player and a competitive cricketer, so I have the inner competitiveness in me.

SS: What is the most difficult obstacle you’ve encountered and how did you handle it?

ZQ: I’d have to say a few years ago when I was trying to start my own t-shirt company. We had some solid designs, and were about to get started, but then we encountered a challenge – how would we get the shirts for a cheap price. From then on, it seemed like we just gave up. It was from that moment onward, from that failure that I learned to never give quit fighting. You’re going to fail, but that’s the only way you’re going to learn. So I took what I learned from that experience and I ensure that I think my projects through beforehand now.

SS: What do you think is the most important role of an ASB VP?

ZQ: The most important role of ASB VP is probably to ensure that all 90+ clubs at MSJ are staying active, and that the inactive ones are dissolved, allowing new clubs to come in.

SS: What made you want to run for this position? What past experiences do you think will help you in this position?

ZQ: I was shocked when I got into L2 last year – I never expected to make it in. After joining, it seemed like I came out of my inner shell, and the leader inside me came out. From that point onwards, I wanted to step up my overall leadership skills and take it to the next level. My past experiences with clubs will definitely help me with this position, as well as being part of L2 Tech. Both of these experiences really trained me to take on the role of the ASB Vice President, so I am ready for the challenge.