Advice from your 2025-26 Student Body Vice President, Sadie G.

Read on to hear advice from your current Student Body Vice President, Sadie G.!

What skills have you learned in your leadership position?

I’ve learned a lot about working with a team. Managing different viewpoints, balancing needs, clearly communicating and planning… It’s hard! And depending on who the team is, what’s needed out of me changes. For example, when working with the OHS administration, I often assume an advocacy role, or provide context around the needs of Student Government and the Student Body, but I might take a backseat on the logistics. When working with a student team, I might be the primary person focusing on logistics while letting others shape the vision.  

One very hard thing about working in a team is that I can’t always say “yes” to every idea. Learning what to do if I can’t say yes—and how to work with others to develop a plan that will work, rather than being stuck at an impasse—is perhaps the thing that will stick with me for the longest. I have not always done a good job of it, but I hope I’ve learned. The biggest thing, I think, is communicating and being able to articulate your reasons. But equally important is turning the conversation toward what can be done, rather than focusing on “no.” That said, I’m still learning!

But as much as saying no is part of the job sometimes, I’ve also learned not to always be so rigid. I tend to be someone who’s overly particular, who wants everything done exactly “right.” And that has its place, but sometimes I also need to be more flexible. Particularly in a student government, knowing when to relax my idea of perfection in the interest of getting something done was a hard thing to learn this year.

As a student leader, what impact have you had–or do you hope to have–on the OHS Student Body?

One of my focuses on Student Government was to formalize the structures of the organization, so that it could have an impact in the future. Our terms are really short—perhaps not compared to how long we spend at the school, but compared to an adult governmental position, or just compared to how long it takes to get things done, they’re quite short. Thus, updates often get pushed off, or planning has to wait until the last few weeks. One of my goals was to really take the time this year to focus on our future planning, hopefully helping generations of representatives after me.

Another topic that is incredibly important to me is accessibility. Outside of Student Government, I’ve helped to lead accessibility advocacy efforts at OHS. One of the main things I hoped from my term in Student Government was to contribute to efforts to normalize the discussion around topics of disability. Student Government represents the Student Body—including the sizable percentage with disabilities. And disability should be part of the conversation. For example, when we were doing updates to the Student Body Constitution, we made sure to add alt text, improve color contrast, and change how links were set up to ensure greater accessibility. Accommodations were discussed at the Survival Guide sessions. In all these ways, big or small, I wanted to bring accessibility constantly into the conversation. It’s not something that can be accomplished just with a big initiative or be the focus for a week; it requires constantly thinking about how to design in an accessible way from the start.

How do you think this leadership position will impact you in the future?

I have built so many skills on Student Government, from the conceptual things that I mentioned before (like how to manage a team), to practical things like using Canva or writing a good advertisement.

But I hope more than anything, this has given me some insight (though I still have a lot to learn!) into how to be a leader. In any position of leadership—be it in a company, government, organization, or anywhere else—there is a need to listen to those that you work with, to understand diverse (and often conflicting) needs, and to figure out how to hear all the perspectives and put them together into something people can work with. I hope that this taste of leadership will continue to help me in whatever further positions I serve in later in life.

What advice do you have for students regarding time management/organization?

For me, it’s about remembering why I love the things I’m doing. I do a lot of things—from sports to two student leadership positions at OHS to classes—but they’re all things that I love. They make me feel fulfilled (even if they can also be tiring). Time management is still hard, but at least I’m not trying to force myself to do things I don’t like. If you want a leadership position, I assure you that there are enough out there that you can find one you are truly passionate about.

And of course, always remember that you’re a student first and a student leader second. Sometimes, you will probably get multiple emails within a few hours that all merit careful consideration—but you have an essay to finish. Finish your essay. Although OHS students are often mature enough that student leaders are treated like adults, you don’t always have to have an adult-level of ability to respond every second. This is your hobby, not your job.

What motivated you to pursue your current leadership position?

Because I want to make things better for the Student Body. To be honest, that is the only reason to pursue this job. It’s not glamorous! Most of my time is spent entering data into spreadsheets, reviewing recordings to write meeting minutes, or working out the complications of a policy. I enjoy the work, but it’s not the sort of thing that you can do for the glamour. If, when I walk away from OHS, even just one person is able to say that my work had a positive impact on them, it will all be worth it.

Do you have any other advice for students interested in seeking a leadership position?

Quite simply: Go for it!

Part of being in leadership is things not going well. In the real world of government, most people don’t win their first election. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be good for the job, it might just mean that someone else campaigned better, or that the voters preferred someone else that time. Or it could be that your voters didn’t turn out on that specific day. It can be demoralizing for sure, but if you keep working at it and genuinely care about those that you would be serving, you can usually find your way—sooner or later—into a position that you want. 

And once you’re in a leadership position, things will not always go well. I’ve been locked out of an email account late at night, had changes of plans for events that had to be enacted quickly, handled forms that didn’t submit, sat at an event where no one showed up… The list can keep going. It is hard. There might be days when you feel like you’re not up to the job or that you just don’t know what to do. But another day, you will figure out who to reach out to for help, or a solution will come to you, and things will continue. Trust me, things don’t go perfectly for anyone.

And finally, but most importantly, keep yourself grounded in the needs of the community that you serve. At the end of the day, no position of leadership is about you; it is always about the voices that you represent, amplify, and bring to the table. It can be hard to know what the community needs, and hard to balance different needs. You probably won’t always get it right. But at the end of the day, if you act with integrity and give whatever you can to those that you serve/advocate for/represent, you are a leader.