Student Council (STUCO) member Ella Salem is the first sophomore in the last ten years to hold the role of “officer” at LSE. Salem was elected at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, and over the summer, she began learning how to do her job properly.

This important role forces Salem to be responsible for fellow STUCO members, and all summer long, she has been working on building relationships and earning trust.

Salem said that one of the challenges of being an officer as an underclassmen is being “in charge of some people that are in older grades than me.”

The job didn’t come easily. Salem spent a lot of time and hard work securing her spot. She wouldn’t rest until she knew that she had a real chance.

“A lot of people questioned electing me, because I had only been on for one year,” Salem said.

However, against the odds, she became an officer, after all. It definitely wasn’t easy, but she came above her age and showed everyone that she could do anything she put her mind to. 

Once elected, Salem jumped right into her new role. She was eager to make a difference in not just LSE, but all of Lincoln.

Over the summer, Salem began to think of ways that Southeast’s STUCO could really make an impact, and she will continue to think of more ways to help out. 

“I’m really hoping we can get more out into the community and volunteer at more places,” Salem added. 

Salem took her new job very seriously this summer, through prepping ID badges for students, helping with Freshman Day, and more. Salem is continuing to work as hard as she can, in hopes that she will keep climbing upwards in STUCO throughout the rest of high school. 

“Next year, I’m going to run for vice president, and my senior year, I will run for president,” Salem said.

Salem knows that her biggest weakness so far has been her age, and yet she’s managed to climb above it. She is confident that the older she gets, the easier it will be for her to get the roles she desires in STUCO, and she won’t stop working until she gets there.