Annually, the entire Jesuit student body decides who will best represent their school in the Student Council (STUCO) elections. On February 15, 2023, this year will feature four tickets or pairs running for STUCO body leadership. Recently, the candidates have conducted advertising campaigns across campus, including introducing themselves to underclassmen and composing speeches. These speeches reflect each candidate’s extracurricular involvement, character and platform. Hopefully, these speeches will aid students in deciding who will be next year’s STUCO president and vice president.
Ticket 1: Gustavo Aldrey and Mark Trottier
Gustavo Aldrey (Student Body President)
Being able to represent the student body requires an individual who is determined to be a leader. However, I believe that it is most important for an individual to listen to his peers and act. I am a member of the Hope Squad, Admissions Ambassadors, Campus Ministry leaders, and the Jesuit Tennis Team. Personally, I believe that I bring a diverse background of involvement in the community to the Student Council. Throughout my years on the Student Council, I have gained experience and knowledge from various past leaders of the Jesuit community. Previous leaders have taught me how to be an effective leader and representative of my peers.
More importantly, I learned how to drive to action and change. I have exemplified this in the past few years through organizing Homecoming, Ranger Day, Freshman Mixer, Senior Send Off, and Prom. In addition, I have worked with our school’s catering to provide better food options. Whether it be working with coaches, teachers, students, or professionals (e.g. guest speakers). I believe that I have many significant ideas to make an impact in the school and in the rest of the community.
Given the opportunity, I promise to continue acting as an effective liaison between the students and the administration. Hopefully, this will bring the Jesuit community to its strongest capacity. Furthermore, the needs of the student body are ever changing with new developments around the school, with colleges, and around the world.
Having said that, I deem it vital to be a continual voice and representative of my peers. In addition, I shall address the concerns that are greatly affecting the community daily. Finally, I am dedicated to working with my fellow peers and the administrators to continuously make Jesuit an environment where everyone can thrive and achieve success in their own right.
Mark Trottier (Student Body Vice President)
Throughout my career at Jesuit, I believe that I should be elected due to my communication and project management skills. I am currently the Chief Communications Officer for Jesuit Hope Squad as well as the President of Key Club. Through these activities, I have learned the importance of public speaking and organizing individuals into teams. With Hope Squad, I have helped to oversee the Week of Hope and Day of Hope. Specifically, this included planning and establishing logistics for these beneficial school wide events. I have presented on behalf of Jesuit Hope Squad at a 300+ conference for mental health awareness.
At this event, I learned how to clearly articulate my ideas across a diverse crowd. In addition, I learned how to work with individuals I have never met before in a common goal. This previous year I participated in planning and executing Ranger Day as a Junior Representative. Also, I want to facilitate a smoother Ranger Day for the following year. Also, I think a great community event would be using the Hughes Hall projector often. For example, we can broadcast March Madness and other major sporting events. Reflecting on the freshman mixer, I think we need more games as it will boost interactions between the freshmen. We can do this by acquiring more spikeball nets and other games. I’m also part of MAGIS where I peer mentor students.
Through this experience, I learned the importance of consistency and how to reach a variety of differing personalities. This will be advantageous as the president and vice-president will serve the whole community. Please let me know if there’s anything Gustavo and I can do for you.
Ticket 2: Christopher Simington and Drew Noonan
Chris Simington (Student Body President)
The Student Council strives for the betterment of the Jesuit environment through leadership and cooperation. I can act as the embodiment of a good leader through my tenure and experience in many leadership positions. Furthermore, my ability to cooperate with many groups and people from all walks of life. This occurs as a result of being football, rugby, band, and Hope Squad. These clubs allow me to learn and adapt to various situations.
Additionally, my well-rounded perspective on the diverse challenges faced by students invokes eagerness to bring new ideas and solutions. With my dedication, I am confident that I will be an effective leader and advocate for the student body. Thus, this qualifies me for the prestigious position. Through my prior seats on the council, I have facilitated critical relationships with administrators and teachers. This allows me to efficiently coordinate projects and convey our needs to the administration. In the past, I led a project to have sporting events and news projected in Hughes Hall during the day. Also, I was a proponent advocate on dress-down days. Further, plans include an efficient and enjoyable homecoming and an optimal amount of enjoyment from the students. Also, I am planning to have dress-down days once or twice a month.
Additionally, I intend to work with underrepresented clubs and ensure they have sufficient funding. This will reinforce the importance of inclusiveness and exemplify to Jesuit’s core belief: Men for Others.
Drew Noonan (Student Body Vice President)
I always strive to have an attitude of gratitude. Sharing positivity with others in turn provides me with an optimistic outlook. This empowers me with a strong problem solving capability. It is this yearning to share a refreshing, positive outlook, amongst my peers, that fuels a desire to be elected on the student council.
I proudly represent my school in a myriad of ways through my involvement in extracurriculars and the community. At Jesuit, I am involved in two varsity sports, Hope Squad, and Godly Guys. This taught me about the smooth ins and difficult outs of what it means to be a student by Jesuit. Putting myself around various peer groups helps diversify not only who I come into contact with, but also my perspective. These varied perspectives enable me to better represent my fellow peers on the Student Council.
I have several plans both actively being initiated as well as multiple ideas for the future. As a member of the Jesuit Student Council, I have been offered the opportunity to help act as a student representative regarding dining. Specifically, I act as a liaison between Thomas Cuisine employees and students. This has initiated the sharing of feedback and solutions to any problems that have arisen.
My leadership qualities extend beyond a seat on the Student Council. If I had to name a few of my best qualities, I would mention my persistent attitude of gratitude, unwavering commitment to my goals, and tried and tested resilience as my strongest leadership-related attributes.
Ticket 3: Ashton Krug and Jack Bradshaw
Ashton Krug (Student Body President)
The student body president should be viewed not necessarily as a superior, but rather as a brother who can be looked to for guidance and assistance. One of the main reasons why I should be elected is because I would not let the title of president impact the way. Moreover, I view not only my Jesuit brothers, but also the way I view myself.
In the present day, I represent my school in as many ways. Currently, I am a member of Hope Squad and Admissions Ambassadors. In addition, I participate in two service organizations: Key Club and PALS. With this being my first year in Hope Squad, I have realized that receiving and giving guidance from peers and brothers is so essential to growth as a man for others.
To improve the Jesuit community, I would first advocate for more parking spots in both parking lots. This must occur in order for less stress to arise whenever a late arrival for any reason may happen. Another thing I would do is be an advocate for the student body’s requests and ideas to make Jesuit into the most enjoyable and vibrant experience possible for all students.
Finally, I believe that I possess many qualities that are typically attributed to an individual who is capable of leading the student body. Some of these qualities include friendliness, humility, decisiveness, maturity, and commitment. I truly believe that I have found my way here at Jesuit Dallas, and it is through those qualities that I aspire to be the best man for others that I can be.
Jack Bradshaw (Student Body Vice President)
I love Jesuit Dallas! I would like to run for student council. The reason is that I want to preserve and represent every aspect I love about Jesuit. This includes Jesuit’s the outstanding education, supportive brotherhood, Christian environment, and competitive extracurriculars. I genuinely believe the more you put into Jesuit, the more you get back. Therefore, serving in this capacity will allow me to help others and grow as a person myself. I have been at Jesuit for three years and have loved every minute of my experience. The main reason I should be elected is that I have an unrivaled passion and appreciation for Jesuit. I will utilize this passion to give back to Jesuit by sharing my time and best efforts.
At Jesuit Dallas, I participate in multiple student organizations. I am a founding member of Godly Guys, a freshman retreat leader, a Varsity soccer player, an ambassador, a PALS (junior service group) member, and the Vice President of the Ted-Ed club.
As much as I love our school, if I were elected, the first problem I would attempt to solve would be finding a more efficient food distribution process so that everyone can get their food faster at lunch. Finally, I believe two of my most eminent leadership qualities are my strong moral character and ability to be a good listener. Often, I feel the ability to listen is overlooked as a leader. However, my capability to listen will result in increased proficiency and efficiency in solving problems at Jesuit.
Ticket 4: Logan Thompson and Sam McFarland
Logan Thompson (Student Body President)
Student Council imparts a unique opportunity for students to serve their student body and the ability to provide peers with memorable and meaningful experiences. I believe that I specifically fit the role of Class President as I feel connected to each member of the Jesuit community. My experiences over the past three years have consisted of many memories with countless of my Jesuit brothers. These experiences have allowed me to fully understand how Jesuit students think. In the end, this led me to think I can properly speak and make decisions for my fellow students.
I’ve actively represented the school through sports and student-led organizations. Currently, I play on the Jesuit Varsity Football and Track teams. As for extracurriculars, I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Jesuit Roundup (school newspaper) and a member of the Key Club (junior service organization). During my potential presidency, I primarily plan on representing all students’ interests and opinions with student council-related activities and discussions. With a focus on reinvigorating student social events like the mixers and Ranger Day, I believe I can help the student body fully enjoy the ‘23-’24 school year.
Through diligence and commitment, I truly believe I can improve the high school experience of my peers. My involvement in the school has gifted me with many important leadership qualities and lessons on how to best serve my community. Persistence and determination are the qualities that I believe will help me succeed in this role and my experiences as a leader in sports and in extracurriculars will allow me to draw on past experiences if elected president.
Sam McFarland (Student Body Vice-President)
I should be elected as the vice president because of my wide range of representation throughout the school. Right now, I compete in two different sports alongside multiple clubs at Jesuit. Through my athletic experiences, I have formed many lasting friendships and had fun encountering the different sides of our school. Every club and extracurricular has something different to offer and with my wide variety of clubs and sports. Personally, I think that I represent a large amount of the student body through my commitments.
With no previous student council experience, I think that I can better relate to the majority of the student body and bring a beneficial perspective to the team. One of my ideas involves a larger participation in Ranger Day. I understand the senior privilege that comes with Ranger Day but through much of my experiences, I felt underrepresented. I think that additional activities for the underclassmen would go a long way in making Ranger Day more enjoyable for everyone.
Although this could be difficult to implement, I possess some great leadership experience including my role on the track team. On a relay, you are only as strong as your weakest link. So, teamwork and accountability are crucial for success. Also, my membership in the Ignatian Service Corps has taught me how to lead a group and make sure everyone is doing their respective job. In general, I believe that my experiences would be very valuable to the student council team. In the end, I believe that I would make an excellent vice president for our school.
