DOWNEY - As students bid farewell to summer break and say hello to school, Associated Student Body leaders from Downey, Warren, St. John Bosco, and St. Joseph prepare to achieve their goals.In the midst of adjusting to a new adviser for the second time, Warren ASB is still on the right track. Cynthia Cordova, ASB Vice President of Warren, looks forward to this year with a confident outlook. "We have been preparing many things to live up to our expectations. As the top Pennies for Patients fundraiser last year, we believe this achievement pumped up the school for this coming year," said Cordova. "Even with a new adviser I believe our ASB will strive. We have planned months in advance to make this year amazing." For ASB members at Downey, St. John Bosco, and St. Joseph, CADA leadership camp at the University of California, Santa Barbara served as a significant part of their training to learn how to become more effective leaders. "I enjoyed meeting leadership kids from all over California," said Riza Karnadi, senior class president of Downey. "It amazed me how easy it was to interact with people that I never met before." Every waking hour of the four days kept the students on their toes as they participated in a wide range of activities. Along the way, participants were encouraged to share their aspirations and ideas with each other. "My older sister had a huge influence on my decision to join ASB in my first year of high school," said Kassandra Guimapang, ASB President of St. Joseph. "She was senior board president at the time and I wanted to make her proud. I grew to love ASB and have been a member since then. As the president, I hope to create positive changes on campus that will give students something to reminisce about in the future." Both new and returning ASB members gained insight on the reasons why leadership is an essential component of school life. All of the campers departed with a renewed appreciation for the opportunities awaiting them in this upcoming year. "As a member of ASB, I feel like I'm more involved with the school. The ability to make a difference on campus enables us to reach out to the 'invisible kids' who tend to blend in with the crowd," said Nicholas Seo, ASB Vice President of St. John Bosco. "I look forward to making this year the best that it can possibly be by putting the ideas from CADA leadership camp into practice." Planning ahead for a year's worth of progress is no simple task, but the student leaders of our community are certainly ready to serve their schools.

********** Published: September 2, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 20