VP – Katelyn Leonard

Katelyn Leonard: (She/Her)

Why should a student, who has potentially never met or interacted with you, vote for you?

• When you first meet me, I can seem shy or quiet, but my personality is a lot more outgoing. I’m an empathetic person, helping people whenever I can and always putting others before myself. With that I want the best for our school and my peers

Why did you choose to apply for this position, specifically?

• Vice President is a position where I will shine because I’ll be able to focus on working on projects without being the face of ASB. As ASB Vice President, I want to improve our school and make a positive impact that will better LOHS and its future generations

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

• For the last couple of years, listening to what past ASB members wanted to offer I realized no one was advocating for LGBTQ support. As Vice President I want to go for an ambitious goal, gender neutral bathrooms. This is something that will help our school grow as a community. When students feel comfortable within school, only then can we grow our school spirit which is why my main focus is to improve our school’s environment

How would students know that you’re willing to put in the work for our school?

• As president of the Art Club at Lake Oswego high school, I know what it’s like to have to plan out projects, set priorities and stay organized for planned events. I am also dedicated to volunteer work because I find fulfillment in helping others. I’m someone who will habitually put other’s needs before mine. Helping people will always bring me contentment because being able to influence and leave a positive impression on others inspires me to strive for an improved life

What are your greatest weaknesses regarding your position/leadership? How will you work to combat that? Conversely, what are your greatest strengths regarding your position/leadership? How will you use that to your advantage?

• Personally, I struggle with self-esteem which can often affect my priorities such as school work. I’ve been fighting anxiety and depression for awhile now. Recently, after 2 years of fighting off internal conflicts, I’ve finally learned how to cope and use my negative emotions in a positive way. I’m able to direct my stress and make something constructive out of it and for me my outlet has been art, music and even going for runs. As ASB Vice President I want to bring my experience of fighting inner tensions and showing students how to relief and find peace within themselves. I want my peers to feel confident in who they are because only then will we be able to prosper as a school together

What do you think makes a good leader?

• In a group setting, a leader is able to accept opinions from others and solve conflict when there’s opposing outlooks. Being able to find compromise is a strength that makes a good leader because when there’s disagreement, nothing can move forward. You might be able to have a majority agree and decide but the minority will not be able to put their all into an idea. When you find compromise, both sides can full heartedly put dedication to a projects, assignment or goal. It’s something that seems simple, but as a person who’s always “put myself in other people’s shoes”, I’ve become understanding of what conflict truly is and how complex and destructive it can be. As a leader, I’m able to deal with disagreement in order to make an objective more enjoyable and a more positive experience

What would you like to convey about yourself that the applications on loelections.com didn’t allow you to?

• I wanted to convey my ambition and drive to make LOHS a place students look forward to going to everyday. I know it can seem impossible, but I want to make our school a place that is welcoming and comfortable. I intend on doing this through student made murals, LGBTQ support, bringing back the high school talent show and possibly even bringing back the teacher skit during Mayfate. Overall, making our high school a healthy and supportive environment is my target as next years ASB Vice President

Is there anything else you would like to say to students reading this?

• Thank you for taking time out of your day to read about who I am. I hope you were able to see how I want to improve our school and that no matter what, I will do everything in my power to make high school a better experience for all students. Thank you again and I hope you’re all doing well mentally and physically throughout this pandemic ❤️