Student Senate Candidate Interview 2008: Alanah Joseph (Vice President)
Written by Teddy Wing | Posted on Apr 29, 2008 - 06:51 PM
What is important to you at Marin Academy?
I wrote about his a little in the Voice, but something that I just really care about and I’ve always cared about is the well-being of the student body in general. At Marin Academy, this is a very academic environment; this is a prep school. People know that, and there are a lot of people here making sure that the academics are rigorous and tailored towards the students’ needs. But there is a whole other side to making an environment where people can really thrive, and this requires a definite balance. I definitely believe in having fun, and relaxing, and I think that that’s a huge part of being in high school. Personally, I feel like, yes there needs to be academic rigour, but we all are talented in different ways. Not all of us are academically talented; people are involved in sports, theatre, and I feel like all of these are equally important. But, we need to balance our responsibilities and our commitments to all of these things, and just relax. I feel like as Vice President, I would want to make sure that Marin Academy was an environment where people want to come to school, because I know that, sometimes when I wake up I think ‘I have so many classes today, so many things to do’. I wish that there was a genuine feeling on campus where even though I had work to do, I would still be around people who wanted to be here, and that would make me want to be here. I would have to think about that balance, and the well-being of the student community for a lot of the decisions I make. Stress is something that everyone has, and sometimes it’s not healthy, so it’s important that we have fun.
Is this one of the reasons why you’re running for Vice President? To bring the school to a more balanced state?
Yes, I think that’s part of it. I love being there for the student body as a resource. I’m in Peer Resources, and worked in Uncensored (two other commitments that I have). I believe that one of the main goals of Senate is to represent the students in a way that is healthy. Senate is here to represent the voices of the community, and I feel that a lot of the people in our community feel overworked and stressed out. That may just be because I’m a second semester junior, and everyone seems stressed out in most of the classes that I’m in.
I think that Emma and Ciku have done a really great job, and I hope to further that, in making a community where people can have fun. That’s why we have Spirit Captains, why Spirit Captains are part of Senate.
What do you think you will bring to the job of Vice President?
I’m a really fun person, even though I work very hard. I strive to come out on top. At the same time, my favorite feeling in the world is, when you’re with someone, and you’re laughing so hard that you’re crying, and your stomach hurts; that feeling, of being with your friends and having fun just makes my world go ‘round.
So even though I’m a true believer in work ethic, and following things through, I also believe that there is a time to play and laugh. I feel like those two different parts of me fit really well for Vice President. I love being around people, I love to enjoy myself, I love being around people who enjoy themselves, and I also work really hard.
I also make sure that when I start things that I see them all the way through to the end. I think that that’s really important. When you’re Vice President, and you have such a high office in the school, it’s important that you follow the whole year through on a good, steady basis. That’s something that we really need in a President, and that’s something that I could really support the President with. We need to take it all the way through, from the beginning to the end of the year, and really have some true success, where people feel like Senate did a good job at what it was supposed to do.
For what other reasons should students choose you over the other candidates?
I believe that I would be a great asset to the community, and to the student government, and to Senate, and I think that if you asked most community members, they would agree (faculty included). I don’t want to compare myself, necessarily, to the other candidates because we are all different in our own ways, and there are some really great candidates. I feel like people should vote for me because I have been involved in the community, and I’ve somewhat proven that I love this community.
I’d rather not just sit here and talk. It’s hard to give a speech, because you’re trying to portray all the things that you want to do, and I truly believe that actions are stronger than words. So I could sit here and tell about why I should be Vice President, but I believe that my actions, and how passionate I am about this campaign are what should pull me through. I feel that it is definitely up to the voters, and I believe that I would be a great candidate.
What sorts of changes can we expect from you should you be elected?
Changes are really hard, because I believe that everything is progressive. I’m not going to sit here and promise, ‘oh, more no homework weekends’, and, ‘we’re going to have a block dedicated to napping!’, or something crazy like ‘cheaper cafeteria food’ that you hear people promise and never pull through on. Like I said, if I sit here and say that I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it if I’m elected. So, I’m a little scared to make any absolute remarks on the changes I’ll make, but I know that I would really try to make Marin Academy an environment that people love being in. That’s not to say that people don’t love it now, because I love it now, and I know a lot of people love it now.
It’s important that any obstacles facing the student body are addressed in a healthy way for the whole community. I’d rather not say that I’m going to make changes, but if there are changes to be made and I or the Senate feel they should be done, then I will make sure that they are done. There are a lot of things that everyone loves about MA, and there are some things that people worry about, and that’s legit. As far as changes, you can never really know what will need to be done next year. But, if anything needs to be done, we’ll try to make sure that it gets done.
Are you interested in getting the student body more involved, or in getting the Senate more involved with the student body?
Definitely. Not necessarily more involved, but to recognize the importance of the student body being connected with Senate, and Senate being connected with the student body. The Senate represents the student body, and you can’t have an accurate representation of something if you’re not connected with it. If you don’t know what’s going on. So there definitely needs to be involvement both ways, between the whole community and Senate because that’s its job, and that’s what makes sense. To me, there needs to be a lot of involvement, and I think there is somewhat. There are some logistical things that Senate does. Obviously not every decision is going to be put out there to the community, and that’s probably why a lot of people feel like Senate is more of a background group. So I don’t think that they’re as disconnected as people think they are, but I do think that it’s extremely important that next year’s Senate is definitely connected to the student body.
Other thoughts?
I love this school, and I love this community. I know that I would do a good job, and I know that I would be a really good Vice President. I can only hope that people have the faith in me that I have in myself. 
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