Incoming Alverno Freshmen Learn Leadership Skills

School may be out for summer, but for thirteen members of ’s incoming freshman class, that’s no reason to stay away from the Sierra Madre campus. Recently, these Alverno students-to-be spent a warm July week learning about the school’s leadership program.

Lead by members of this year’s Alverno Student Union (ASU), the summer leadership class was created as a way to allow students to explore their leadership abilities through games and exercises, all while learning how to plan for a successful freshman student government.

“The purpose of the class is to integrate incoming students into our particular form of student government,” Alverno Director of Activities Cam Gonzales said in an statement regarding the recent event. “We want them to understand the variety of leadership roles they can take in 9^th grade.”

Alverno’s student government is modeled on that of the United States, with the overarching ASU taking the role of federal government. Then, each class serves as its own “sate” in the union, each of which is built to resemble the state government of California: each class has a Governor, Lieutenant Governor and an Assembly.

Alverno’s Head of School Ann Gillick expressed her satisfaction with the preemptive training program and the school’s unique approach to arranging student government.

“This model allows more girls to be involved in leadership, with a greater variety of leadership roles available,” Gillick said in a statement.

Similarly, the upcoming Alverno seniors who lead the four-day class said they were happy with the results.

“These thirteen girls have so much positive energy,” senior Andrea Gochez-Wilson said. “All of them are going to have an awesome, exciting, and love-filled experience here at Alverno.”

The senior ASU members who planned and lead the class are Estefania Alvarez, Shasta Cales, Carolyn Chalfant, Madi Daniels-Campos, Aliyana Franklin, Hana Lemseffer, leadership class planner and leader Aliza Mariano, and Andrea Gochez-Wilson.

The freshman girls who took part in the leadership class are Helena Enciso, Madi Hernandez-Barber, Katia Juaregui, Michelle Lam, Jackie and Jasmine Molina, Gabriela, Prado, Olivia Rivas, Jeanine Santucci, Greta Storlie, Erika Winstanley, Christina Vagenas, and LeAnn Zuñiga.

“This class brought out leader-like qualities I didn’t even know I had,” incoming freshman Helena Enciso said of the program.

Christina Vagenas agreed. “The class helped me understand what a leader is, and how to lead a crowd with originality, but also, with strength.”