Following Science Olympiad board elections in April, rising senior Ashley Brachman is preparing to continue on as president for the next school year and rising senior Raniel Pasaoa will step up as vice president of Science Olympiad.
Both Ashley and Raniel have been in Science Olympiad since their freshman year and have grown with the team. Advisor and Chemistry teacher Olivia Comer said, “I know [Ashley and Raniel] know the ins and outs of Science Olympiad very well. I think that they both want the best for the team and have worked very hard to achieve that, so I expect to see that in this coming year as well.”
On April 21, the team held elections, where candidates presented speeches to the team. The team was given the chance to vote to determine their new leaders, and results were announced.
Ashley said she is “incredibly grateful” to her team for her reelection and will continue to “do everything in my power to ensure that our team has what it needs to thrive.”
As current president of Science Olympiad, she has experience with fulfilling her role. She said, “I’m ready to implement what I’ve learned into the next season. For instance, we’re starting off the year more in advance, in terms of we’re having… a preseason interest meeting before the actual season starts.” Ashley said she wants to prioritize accessibility for team members and encourage more underclassmen to join Science Olympiad.
Similarly, as current communications secretary of Science Olympiad, Raniel also has experience acting on the board. He plans to take a more proactive approach next year to step into the role of vice president.
He said that he will “set meeting agendas in advance, assign specific responsibilities to other board members, and ensure members know what materials they need to bring.” He plans to create a shared calendar to help improve communication and make important dates easy to track.
Sharing a similar sentiment, Ashley said, “One thing that we can do better is planning a little bit more in advance, in terms of our special events.”
In addition to logistical responsibilities, the roles of president and vice president include uplifting and inspiring the team.
Advisor and Physics teacher Micheal Quach said that “through it all, Ashley and Rain have always shown remarkable resilience and it’s their unyielding spirit that has encouraged our team to keep on working and trying our best.”
In a competitive team like Science Olympiad, many team members may experience stress or pressure at team events. Team member, sophomore Vivienne Chen spoke about the leaders’ encouragement in these tough situations. She said, “The board acts as a motivating factor that lets me continue to pursue my events and to just keep on going whether things aren’t going as you’d expect or some barriers come in the way such as with partners not working well with you or complications.”
Team member, junior Kayla Chin also said, “I feel like [the board and Ashley] also helped create a supportive environment where we as a team supported and encouraged each other when overwhelmed.”
Mr. Quach said, “I hope that they are constantly reminded of why they joined Science Olympiad in the first place and the great memories they have shared here, and I hope that it will motivate them to inspire and mentor our current and future members.”
