Four students hope to be your Student Council Secretary/Treasurer next school year, 2026-27. Voting will be conducted IN PERSON during history classes on Thursday, June 25.Winners will be announced during Morning Announcements and on The Boulevard Online on Friday, June 26. Only high school students, including seniors, are eligible to vote.  Send questions or comments to Mr. Figueroa at [email protected] or Mr. Weaver at [email protected].

All four candidates made a short video and were asked three questions by the Journalism Club. Below are their videos and answers to the questions, unedited:

JEREMY BRITO-THEN

• What makes you the best candidate?

Being Secretary means you take up the responsibility of reminding people about what phenomenal ideas they have created, recording and organizing notes, and communicating with others. Also you have to be balanced, disciplined, and have to persevere whatever challenges that may come your way. I believe that I have these qualities. However, I’m just a regular person since I didn’t do a lot of service projects and I don’t have a lot of rewards, but that doesn’t define a person, what defines them is their moral character, if they’re willing to change or not. I’m willing to change, I want to become a better person than I was yesterday and make my community better than it was before. What matters is that the people in our community are taken good care of and the people in our school are having fun and enjoying their high school experience. I’ve learned from my mistakes and what I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to change and to do something you want to do. I don’t think that I’m better than all the student council candidates, but I do believe that I’m a great candidate. I hope that I can get the opportunity to prove myself that I can be organized, dependable, and helpful.

• What will you do to make things better at Prep?

Prep is just a puzzle waiting to be solved, and it’s just missing some pieces. Basically, the school needs some adjustments to it. Next year there’s going to be new freshmen coming to our school and so is the phone ban, but there are also other issues such as Lack of motivation, school lunch, and school spirit which can definitely lead to a negative impact on the students that are giving their all in school. In the future, I plan to propose my idea of the phone ban which is about creating a Board Game Zone in the cafeteria where students can play with cards and board games, learning how to socialize even better and creating new friendships on the way. The phone ban is one, but our school spirit and motivation are another and have been low, so I aim to introduce my idea of having a monthly school wide SEL day. This SEL day will be where students from all grade levels get to participate in engaging activities and fun competitions against each other. Also, don’t you just hate when you get expired milk or there’s something wrong with your lunch? Well I have an idea that can be a possible solution; a point person during every lunch period so when things feel wrong, it is brought to their attention, immediately. I’ll get the Food Services Supervisor to our Student Council meeting, so we can address the issues that student council members may have with the boss of it. The future of Prep is worrying me since it not only impacts me, but it’s going to impact the students, especially the freshmen and my approaching senior year.

• What makes you a good leader?

Prep needs more events for students that will help us create lasting memories with the people around them. Everybody loves having fun and people will always remember the fun things that they did with their friends or family. In order to lighten up our community, I propose to create more events that would make Prep’s high school experience more memorable such as prep rallies for example. Also, this will not only make it fun, but it will help students connect across other students from different grade levels. Socializing is important because it deepens the friendship between students, thus improving our school spirit. It’s important that as a community, we stay together, understand each other, have a good time, and most importantly have a smile on our faces.

GABRIEL JAVIER

• What makes you the best candidate?

Having spent three years in Prep and almost three years on the Student Council, I have a deep understanding of how our school works. I’ve seen our strengths and the areas where we can grow, which means I won’t need a learning curve. I am ready to collaborate effectively with the president, vice president, and administration to bridge the gap between students and leadership, ensuring every voice is actively supported.

• What will you do to make things better at Prep?

I will implement a digital suggestion box to ensure every student has a direct, accessible voice. Inclusion is my priority. I won’t just collect this feedback; I will actively organize it, present it at student council meetings, and bring actionable ideas directly to the administration so we can turn student thoughts into real change.

• What makes you a good leader?

A great leader listens first. I believe every student’s perspective is valuable, and I am committed to making sure no good idea goes unnoticed. Beyond listening, I bring strong organizational skills and dedication, which I will use to plan incredible, inclusive events that bring our entire community together.

ARILING PENA

• What makes you the best candidate?

Since my freshman year, I challenged myself to get involved in things and step outside of my comfort zone. Joining the Student council helped me personally grow my confidence, strengthen my sense of responsibility, and build my leadership skills. Being part of the Student Council helped me realize the importance of being organized, teamwork and to represent the voices in our school. As Secretary/Treasurer, I would bring dedication, attention to detail and a strong commitment to representing the voices of all students. I’m ready to listen to students and help make a positive impact at PREP.

• What will you do to make things better at Prep?

I want to help bring more school spirit and student involvement to PREP. I would work with the Student Council to organize more fun activities and events that encourage students to participate and connect with one another. I also want to make sure students have opportunities to share their ideas and concerns so that their voices are heard. My goal is to help create a school environment where students feel included, engaged and excited to be part of the PREP community. 

• What makes you a good leader?

I believe that my experience in Student Council, clubs, sports, and other activities has helped me develop strong leadership qualities. I am someone who listens, supports others, and leads by example. I am organized, take initiative, and enjoy working with others to achieve common goals. I understand that leadership is not about being in charge it is about serving others, being responsible, representing your peers, and helping the team succeed. If elected, I will do my best to represent students fairly, listen to their concerns, and make decisions that benefit our entire school community.

VALLEY TAYLOR-GILES

• What makes you the best candidate?

What makes me the best candidate for this office is I am very organized, reliable, and hard-working. I believe that a Secretary should have all these qualities and more. I have had experience in my daily life where I had to step up and be a leader and take on similar responsibilities. So far throughout my time in highschool I made plenty of mistakes. However I believe that it is important to learn from them and continue to grow and thrive as a person. I’m willing to learn new things and grow into something I could look back on and be proud of. I believe that I can rise to the occasion and be just as good as any other student council candidate running for this position. 

• What will you do to make things better at Prep?

Throughout my time here I have noticed a lot of people here struggle with anxiety and burn out from the amount of school work teachers give here at Prep. Yes, I do believe that doing school work is important but student’s health is also very important and should be considered. I plan to address these concerns and help bring awareness to how student burn out could heavily affect our schools overall academic standing and or achievements. 

• What makes you a good leader?

What makes me a good leader is I know how to communicate with others. I am very hard-working and I enjoy helping other people. Everyone should feel that they have a voice. I’m always here to help someone in need even if they’re not friends with me. Being a part of this school has allowed me to meet different people and make new friends. Having that support helps me be the best person that I can be. I strongly believe that being a good leader means to treat everyone with kindness and respect, and speak up when things aren’t the best.