What They Think: Four students revisit the prospect and the reality of choosing to lead.

Posted on Oct 16, 2013

What They Think: Four students revisit the prospect and the reality of choosing to lead.

How did you come to the decision to run for office?

I started thinking about it last year. Seeing Robert Bedetti and Casey Caine (head monitors, 2010–2011) and admiring them helped me realize that you have to step up. People are doing that for us, now, so we need to, as well. I saw Jess Li and Nick Maragos (head monitors) in action this year, and thought about the impact they would have on the School. I love meeting new people. I wanted to give back and get people excited about all the cool things here.
—Cameron

Milton helps you understand responsibility through your classes, which allow you to have a personality, a role in the conversation, a role in creating the environment in the class. You can help create an environment where others can speak up, or demonstrate their talents in other ways, or feel free to offer carefully thought out counter arguments.

Liam White, Class I, • Co-Head Monitor, 2013–2014 • Varsity soccer captain • Step Team • Co-Head, Model U.N. • Varsity lacrosse • Three for Each of Us, a cappella • Self Governing Association, class representative, Classes III and II

I remember coming to School and admiring people above me—students and teachers—in the soccer program, for instance. Holding a leadership position allows you to meet more people. For example, as SGA rep last year I was one of the first people to meet 17 new students in my grade—and I’m still good friends with all of them. You realize that there’s such a broad spectrum of students at Milton—you can have an impact on them and they can have an impact on you. Connections can be so much deeper when you don’t limit yourself to the first people you meet.
—Liam

Being a Milton student, in and of itself, requires responsibility—academically, athletically, in whatever extracurriculars you do, the commitment is significant and strong.
—Daniella

What do you want to achieve?

Our main goal, Liam’s and mine, is to allow people to make more connections, especially throughout the grades.
—Cameron

Cam and I are going to put particular emphasis on new sophomores and juniors, helping them feel more integrated right away, moving right past what might have been a few weeks of quiet observation.

The Class of ’14 has shown growth. Different people have stepped up and found a voice. I was pleasantly surprised by the Class II leadership weekend—I felt new energy in the class; our class has respect and appreciation for students around them and is ready to show that.
—Liam

Jessica Li '13 • Co-Head Monitor, 2012–2013 • Varsity soccer tri-captain • Varsity softball • Millet House dorm dodge ball championship team member • Presenter, Milton Academy Science Symposium: “The Effect of Population Density on Duckweed Lemna Minor Growth”

I’d like to be seen as a role model, someone who wants to do what the community needs.
—Daniella

This year Nick and I didn’t want to revolutionize things, we just wanted people to sense approachability on our part. We wanted to do a number of fun, small, random things, including events, so that people could feel our constant presence in their lives, just getting everyone together, appreciating one another.
—Jessica

What surprised you about leading?

I learned in sports that as a leader, you need to be alert, aware and extra-involved. You need to know what’s going on around you, avoid getting blind-sided and know whether you need to step in. You are accountable for what other 
kids do.

All juniors, moving into senior year, are given the opportunity to make what they want out of the year to come. They’re given the chance to step up even without a formal leadership position. In fact, the most prominent role models may have no title at all; that’s especially true in the dorm.

I watched the older kids to feel out Milton’s culture. So I know that setting the tone is important. Kids really look up to seniors.
When we get into planning things, we’ll need to collaborate and feel things out, see what works, build consensus among kids. Not all our ideas will be approved, for any number of reasons.
—Cameron

I’ve learned, and others have told me, that patience is impor-tant. You start out with goals, and they take more time to achieve than you think they will. You can be focused on one issue when another crops up.
—Liam

Daniella Colombo '13 • Day Student Monitor, Self- Governing Association (SGA) 2012–2013 • Community service—Boston Public Schools • Manager, boys’ varsity basketball (2013 ISL champions), 2012–2013

We’ve had a number of events this year, and no one realizes the logistics, the details, the little things that take planning and that must happen to pull something off. Follow-through is incredibly important. You can have a food drive, but people need to show up to sort the food and take multiple trips to the food bank.
—Jessica

What about Disciplinary Committees 
(DCs)?

Being in the room itself is one thing; knowing your role and serving it is another. Everyone comes in with a different perspective. We do come to consensus, but no one comes out feeling like they won. Adults realize what students have to go through and they understand that kids make mistakes. They tend to see things in the context of time—“this happened 12 years ago, and at that time…”—but you need to assess every case separately. Finding a balance is one of the hardest things.
—Liam

After a while, you get a sense of yourself, you understand the student perspective and also where the administration is coming from. It’s really about the community and protecting a relationship students have with it— keeping it safe. You have great empathy for the student in the situation, but a school has to have some accountability for its rules. We [the students on the DC] do have a hard time with the confidentiality. So many factors go into a single decision; you want to be transparent, but the situation you’re considering is always more complex than it seems on the surface.
—Jessica

It’s probably hard to see each DC as brand new, but you need to, because that’s the way a student sees it; it’s the one time that this thing happened to that person. Each incident represents a different time and circumstance.
Administrators become real people to you; you understand their role. There’s respect in both directions, and we respect how hard they work. They want us to enjoy school, but they have responsibilities to the School, too.
—Cameron

Did you make sacrifices?

Yes, you may have to drop some activities; you need to prioritize and focus. You need to balance your own needs with supporting others. Sometimes, you know you need to go out and support other kids, to do what’s good for others, even though you might not be excited 
about it.
—Cameron

Cameron Park, Class I • Co-Head Monitor, 2013–2014 • Varsity field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse • Step Team • Gospel Choir • Outdoor Program • Orange and Blue Key • Dance Concert • Peer tutor and group leader

You need to prioritize very carefully. I love all my extracurricular activities and I have to think carefully about the way I use my time. There are times, too, when you’d just like to go lie on the quad, but you can’t do it.
—Liam

I know this position will take lots of work and time will be my sacrifice. Just like when I was the manager for the boys’ varsity basketball. However, being part of an intimate community and watching everyone experience success is worth the time you devote to it.
—Daniella

Is the takeaway valuable?

I do want to do this, and knowing that you’re helping kids is gratifying. The administration has a role, but it’s up to us to make things work and make the year what we’d like it to be. We’re people students can look up to.
—Cameron

Getting close to people, understanding them more deeply. You have an impact; you gain their respect because you look out for them.
—Liam

I’ve participated in a number of different situations, and with exposure, have learned how to deal with them. I have a better understanding of myself, and I’ve enjoyed seeing myself succeed. I’m really grateful for having had an impact on people.
—Jessica

–CDE