Being new to anything can be intimidating, especially beginning high school. To be honest I
expected it to be really scary. I remember the days before the beginning of my freshman year extremely
clearly, almost like it was yesterday. I heard all sorts of crazy stories about how to survive freshman year,
what to wear, who to talk to, and who to avoid. To say the least, it was a stressful couple of days leading
up to the beginning of school. Eventually, the day I was dreading came and to my surprise, I saw that the
culture of Westtown’s Upper School was one filled with kindness, compassion, and mentorship, not the
scary mess I thought high school would be like.

In those first few weeks of school whether it was at BIPOC camp or preseason all the
upperclassmen were warm and friendly, thus creating an environment that I believe me and many of my
other classmates thought was comfortable and safe. As the year went on I got to eventually see who and
what the SBPs were. The leaders of the whole school. They were up there on stage during collection
rowding up the whole Westtownian mob. I saw them talking to new students and underclassmen making
them feel welcome and included. I heard about all the work that they did under the scenes, organizing
fundraisers and dances. In essence they were just good people and they embodied what it meant to be a
Westtownian.

Although the SBPs don’t have a lot of power technically speaking, they have a lot of influence
over the Westtown community. The SBPs do a lot they organize collection, make decisions on the
discipline council, and petition for major changes to school rules. In essence, the SBPs hold a very large
responsibility. But most importantly the SBPs have a big influence on the Schools culture as a whole. I
have attended Westtown since third grade and I am elated to be in a community with such a beautiful
community. I would like to hold the SBP position so I can help create an atmosphere of comfort and
belonging for all students. One of my main priorities would be to help make the underclassmen feel heard
and respected as I felt when I was a freshman. Another one of my priorities would be to try and bridge the
gap between day students and boarders by pushing for less restrictions on Reach so that borders can sign
out of school more easily to have a fun time and hang out more with Day Students off campus. I believe
this is an area that will really expand the Westtown community.

The SBP position is extremely important and I hope I can fill the role with integrity, compassion,
and a dedication towards improving the lives of students at the Westtown School.