Mira Branham | Reporter

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Senior Jazmine Susana, President of National Honor Society:

Q: Why did you want a leadership position in your Honor Society? 

JS: I wanted a leadership position because I felt like I embodied what NHS was about regarding caring about your grades and education while still giving back to the community, so I really wanted to help lead that.

Q: How has your Honor Society influenced you so far?

JS: NHS for this year is just getting started up, but I really like the idea that we have an issue or organization that’s beneficial or prevalent to the community and we focus on it. This year we are still deciding n hat that is, but I think it’s going to be great.

Q: What other extracurriculars are you involved in?

JS: I’ve never been the president of a club before, so it’s definitely been a change of pace. I think that it’s been really helpful at keeping me accountable and making sure that I am doing what I need to do to stay on top of things.

 

Senior Ethan Maharas, President of Spanish National Honor Society:

Q: Why did you want a leadership position in your Honor Society? 

EM: I wanted a leadership position in SNHS to improve upon the outreach to younger students from last year and hopefully expand the number of students who continue Spanish classes past level 3.

Q: What is your favorite part of your Honor Society?

EM: My favorite part of the club is bringing students who haven’t all been in the same Spanish classes with the same teachers together.

Q: How has your Honor Society influenced you so far?

EM: SNHS has served as a supplement to my experiences in Spanish class and has improved my communication with less-experienced students.

 

Senior Mackie Phillips, President of Japanese National Honor Society:

Q: Why did you want a leadership position in your Honor Society?

MP: I wanted a leadership position because it seemed last year, the club was heavily based around the seniors’ decisions, even those who weren’t in office, so I wanted to be able to include the underclassmen in club decisions and give them an active role.

Q: What is your favorite part of your Honor Society?

MP: I really enjoyed the certificates we got for JNHS, honestly. They looked very fancy and we get graduation cords now, which I’m excited for. Overall, I enjoy the freedom we have because Japanese is such a tight community with only one teacher. We’re all familiar with each other, so it’s easy to relate and make friends.

Q: How has your Honor Society influenced you so far?

MP: JNHS has influenced me by finding a purpose in school and academics. I struggled heavily in a lot of my classes, especially Japanese, as a freshman and sophomore with wanting to do school work. Not just homework, but getting myself to work during class and listen to instruction. When all my very smart, 4.0 GPA friends were getting invited to JNHS and receiving other academic achievements, I didn’t want to be left behind so I got my act together because I didn’t want to be seen as lazy and unintelligent when I knew I wasn’t. Sensei [Ramirez], my boyfriend, and friends helped me realize I’m capable of the same things, and even more than everyone realizes about me. Getting the head role really helps me see myself as that person.