Senior Leaders Learned to Serve at Edison High School

ByWritten by Jazlyn Quintana
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Jazlyn Quintana - Edison High School, ASB President
Fresno Unified School District

Being an active member of the Fresno Unified Student Advisory Board (SAB), I genuinely enjoy serving the students of my campus and district.

This is my fourth year being in SAB and student government and the work we do makes a substantial impact on students of all ages. Over the years, I have learned what it takes to be a leader and I know my efforts have influenced kids to want to make a difference.

Ever since I was old enough to acknowledge it, I have seen the amazing work teachers do for students day in and day out. I am so grateful for the work that every Fresno Unified employee does to help every student grow as individuals; your work will never go unrecognized.

I have personally experienced the Human Element campaign's growth and impact on students since my freshmen year as it has grown into a nationally recognized campaign. Throughout these four years, I have watched and learned from successes and shortfalls how to successfully carry out a "kindness campaign."

Many parents, teachers, and members of the community have preached the whole "don't bully" spiel," yet we figured it would be more beneficial to just simply promote kindness. In doing so, we came up with our trend #FresnoKIND. #FresnoKIND is a double-meaning trend that means as a Fresno kind, we are kind. In this year's video, "Rewind," we encourage everyone to think before a negative situation plays out, and speak truths in kindness to provide a foundation for a positive, kind situation to take place. The video recently placed in the top 25 of the Great American NO BULL Challenge video competition. Top winners will be announced May 13.

Here at Edison High School, we are winding up the school year with enjoyable, engaging, yet educational events for everyone. We are planning for a multicultural rally that will showcase a multitude of different cultures through unique, student-produced performances. Along the cultural lines, we are planning our annual Cinco de Mayo festivities, a whole week dedicated to Mexican American dancing, singing, and many other performances celebrating the Mexican and various Hispanic cultures. Students are preparing for AP tests, which start the first two weeks of May. At the end of these extensively strenuous weeks, students can reward themselves by attending our "A Stroke at Midnight" prom hosted by our junior class.

As my senior year comes to an end, I'd like to thank every teacher/coach who has helped mold me into the student, teammate, leader, and young adult I am today. Without the outstanding work of Edison Campus Culture Director Fabiola Perez and Principal Lindsay Sanders, I would not be where I am today. The entire Edison staff and students have made me feel welcome since the day I stepped on campus, and my goal is to make every other student feel safe and love being a part of the Edison family. Here at Edison, we are "One Tiger, Many Stripes."