Between acting as the class spokesperson, coordinating fundraising events, and trying to make sure that the needs of all students are met, the role of being a class president requires resiliency, hard-work, and dedication.
Luke Calleja (Freshman Class President)
Freshman Luke Calleja is proud to call himself the president of the class of 2028.
“I really want to make a change and make my class proud,” Calleja said.
He felt a desire to run for president to make sure everyone’s thoughts and opinions would be considered. When it was announced that he won, he was over the moon.
“I was really surprised… I felt really loved,” Calleja said.
Being president of the class can be a huge responsibility. It takes patience and determination to succeed in a position like this.
“Its pretty fun being in charge, but it comes with a lot of responsibilities. It’s important to have boundaries and respect for others,” Calleja said.
Calleja doesn’t work alone- he is helped and surrounded by a group of representatives that allow him to stay connected to every corner of the class.
“I make sure their voices are heard because they are the reason I am in this position,” Calleja said.
The freshman class office has already coordinated many fundraisers and has more planned for the future.
“We’ve done the basketball games, volleyball games, and the snow cones at the Pine View fair,” Calleja said, “That made us a lot of money.”
So far in just the first semester the class of 2028 has a balance of over $8,000 out of their four-year. goal of $30,000!
Even though Calleja is a freshman with no experience in this field, he has really been pulling his weight as a responsible and determined class president. He plans on running again next year and enjoys working with the other members of class office.
“I like the fact that I can make money and interact with the student body while fundraising,” Calleja said. “The memories I have made are unforgettable, to say the least.”
Omy Patel (Sophmore Class President)
Omy Patel is a second-year high school class president with the intention of learning and improving his presidency this year.
“I always loved the people in our grade, and I thought that it would be fun to run and show how much effort and dedication I will put in for our collective success,” Patel said.
Patel was very thankful when he was announced the winner of the election. Not only was it exciting to win, but it also served as a reminder that his classmates trusted him with this role.
“My class gave me a chance, and I wanted to prove to them that I can be a good class president,” Patel said.
Obviously, no two years are the same, and every new year brings new challenges and triumphs to the table.
“I have had some obstacles I had to face but with the support of the other officers and my sponsor, Ms. Tucak, we made it through,” Patel said.
Sometimes, it’s the difficult parts of the job that teach people the most.
“These moments are what make it better than how I expected it to be,” Patel said.
Patel has coordinated many innovative fundraising initiatives, and he doesn’t plan to stop.
“Our future fundraisers include an athletic tournament, the Variety Show, and much more in the works,” Patel said.
These events will continue to help build not only Patel’s leadership skills, but also his relationship with his peers.
Patel is a very amicable and open student. He wants to make sure that throughout his presidency he is making sure all students’ input is being taken into account.
“Students that want to be heard can text or contact me in person, so I can acknowledge any concerns or suggestions,” Patel said. “Some let me know any suggestions they have, and it really helps me maintain my role.”
Patel said the bond between class office members has grown throughout the years. After all the fundraising and out of school events they run, the officers become great friends.
“The role helps me get closer with my classmates and that’s what I love the most,” Patel said.
Joe Calleja (Junior Class President)
Brother to freshman class president Luke Calleja, junior class president Joe Calleja has had and currently holds many leadership positions within Pine View. He’s a very influential role model for his younger brother Luke. Not only is he the vice president of a popular Pine View community service club, Key Club, but he’s also been the reigning class president for the past three years.
He originally ran for president for many reasons, one being that he’s considering a career in government.
“When I grow up, I want to go into government, so I thought I could start off with this election,” Calleja said.
Being the president of his class for his whole high school career, he has had a lot of time to get to know his class, get more experience with fundraising, and have a lot of fun with the position.
“Through your years as president, it becomes easier because you get more experience, you understand how everything runs, and you get better connections and relationships with administration,” Calleja said.
While it may not look easy from the outside, planning and organizing multiple events per year is not without its obstacles.
“Getting to know my class officers and experiencing what it takes to lead a team and organize events has been sort of a difficult challenge but at the same time really rewarding,” he said.
Calleja’s team has coordinated a lot of fundraising events for their class. Running events such as the Daddy-Daughter Dance and car washes stand out the most for Calleja.
“Car washes were really fun because a bunch of my fellow classmates, we would all go out and wash cars and play around with the hoses and stuff which was a lot of fun,” he said.
Overall, being the president of his class, Calleja has had many amazing opportunities and experiences. He hopes to continue his presidency as a senior and make even more amazing memories next year with his classmates in their last year of high school.
“At the time when I won, I was just really ecstatic. I jumped up and ran to the stage. It was one of my favorite high school experiences–winning,” Calleja said.
Terry Shen (Senior Class President)
Even though being a class president is a challenging role to take on, Senior Class President Terry Shen loves the excitement and opportunities that this position gives him.
“I was thankful for everyone who voted for me and put their trust in me. I was excited to make this year a lot of fun,” Shen said.
He has a strong desire to continue making his peers proud and fundraise enough money to go towards supporting their class. Shen is extremely grateful that his classmates re-elected him as president and trust his capability to handle the class of 2025.
Shen decided to run for president again because of the success he found in the previous year.
“I wanted to continue the legacy that we created, not only in terms of financial fundraising, but also because it’s our senior year,” Shen said.
He recognizes the weight of his responsibility to make sure this presidency runs smoothly, and the year is enjoyable for the whole class.
“I will say, class office is not an easy task, it’s rather demanding,” Shen said. “A lot of time is spent coming up with ideas, organizing events, fundraising… and then actually running the events.”
Pine View students are always looking ahead, especially students with official roles in their class.
“I want to stress the second semester; we’re looking forward to making things even better,” Shen said.
Being a member of class office is an opportunity to work with raising funds for multiple grade levels.
“We not only put on events for high schoolers, but we also do things for the younger students,” Shen said. “Seeing a lot of middle schoolers that were us, maybe 6, or even 2 or 3 years ago. That was really cool.”
While the Class Presidency is not easy, he said it proves to be extremely rewarding.
“It’s truly been an honor for me to say that I’ve represented my peers,” Shen said. “We always want to do what’s best for our class as a whole.”