Torch: U.S. LXVIII Summer 2019 | Page 12

My term is going great! These past several months preparing for Nationals have been incredibly exciting. In the past few months, my main focus has been on National Classics Week. While 2nd VP Michaela and I had been working on the themes since the beginning of our term, the official packet was released in February. It brought me so much joy to see all kinds of different NCW celebrations and social media posts.

ALEAH MALIK

NJCL 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

ALEAH MALIK

How is your term so far? What have you been doing in the past few months?

What's your favorite part about being 1st vice president?

My favorite part about my office is reaching out to new people from around the country. While outreach can be challenging, it is so rewarding. I love being able to help students further their passion for the classics by giving them information on starting or growing a chapter. JCL is an organization that has rewarded me so much in my own

Is being a national officer what you expected?

I'd say that being a national officer is not one hundred percent what I expected. Since only have two in-person meetings throughout the year, it means that the majority of the work is done during those times. Because we have such a limited time together, our meetings can get stressful. On the other hand, there are certain times throughout the year where there is not much to be done. It's difficult to evenly space out work. I did not expect to become close friends with everyone on the board, it was a wonderful surprise! Although we never see each other, we work so well together and have lots of fun. One part that I expected was the challenge of time management for NJCL duties. Especially in the midst of college applications, school, work, and other extracurriculars, it's pretty difficult. I also expected it to be an amazing experience that would help me grow as a person, and it certainly has been that.

What's your main goal as 1st vice president?

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My one main goal as 1st Vice President is to increase JCL membership. Growing a national organization is not something that can happen overnight, so I've been working on a comprehensive guidebook for local VPs to expand their JCL chapters. I've gotten the opportunity to interview students from a variety of JCL backgrounds and chapter sizes, so I believe that this guidebook can help anyone with membership issues. I hope that future 1st VPs can use this and implement long term strategies to grow JCL membership!

life and I cannot imagine my high school career without it. I'd say that my passion for my office is due to the fact that I have the opportunity to help others get involved in this amazing organization. I get to help others spread the JCLove, what's not to like about that?