Q&A: SGA Candidate Sameh Arsalla

As the elections for SGA President rapidly approach, the Devil’s Advocate interviewed each candidate to gain a greater understanding of why each is running for the position.

Devil’s Advocate: Why do you want to be SGA President?

Sameh Arsalla: So the whole premise of me running for SGA President this year and for Junior class historian last year was I felt like there was a job being done that wasn’t being done to its full ability. I just felt like there were some aspects of the presidency last year that could be improved on and I felt like I could bring some changes that would better our school. I felt like there wasn’t a big enough presence from student government last year. I was a junior class officer last year and I felt disconnected from everything. We did our own thing, other classes did their own thing, and student government- I didn’t hear much from them. They could’ve been doing their own thing. Some of the things they did, like homecoming and winter formal turned out great this year, I feel like it wasn’t good as it could have been. The possibilities are endless.

DA: What motivation did you have to run?

SA: The whole reason I was inspired to run was because I saw there was a job being done that wasn’t done to the fullest. I felt like I could step in and make a big difference in comparison to previous years. Our current junior class president and next year’s senior class president, John Wright Stanley, he had a big impact on me. He really gave me the confidence to really run for this position. I was always on the border but he pushed me to the next level, and actually we’re running together next year.

DA: What ideas do you have for the 2019-2020 school year, and how are you going to make these ideas a reality?

SA: I have a couple big ones, three big ones: course surveys, career fair and the Stanton manual. So, my biggest idea was the course surveys. Basically, at the end of the year, in your classes, you’d be given a short little questionnaire, maybe five or six questions. Questions would range from ‘why did you want to take this class’ to ‘how many hours a week did you spend on this class for homework, tests, studying, all of that’, and ‘what did you think you were going to get versus what did you get’. These answers would be anonymously posted to a form available to everybody, so in spring, when you’re selecting your classes, you’d be able to see this accurate feedback from people who have actually taken the class before. You can really get to know what you’re getting yourself into, because myself and many others, we get into classes we just probably shouldn’t have taken because we just didn’t know. This would obviously be filtered by student government, and if any bad mouthing of any teachers/faculty, anybody. If any of that happened that would obviously be filtered out. But this is really supposed to be a positive place for students to give feedback on classes they may or may not want to take.

DA: Describe your idea for a career fair.

SA: Between myself and John Wright, this is a joint effort on our parts, we want to bring career fair. So maybe one day, you know how we have club fair during lunches, we want to bring the same thing but career-oriented. Basically, different employers from different backgrounds come, the best in Jacksonville. You could just walk around, see what you’re interested in, see what you’re not. We are one of the best schools in Florida, certainly in Jacksonville, it could possibly open up internship opportunities for many of our students by making connections, and it’ll give students some experience with real-world job finding. We claim ourselves to be college preparatory but I want to help with real-life preparatory. People think school is the end-all be-all but after school you have to find a job.

DA: Your last big idea is the Stanton handbook. What’s the Stanton handbook?

SA: It would be a student written; student created. Basically, the ins and outs of Stanton and how to get through your first year. This is specifically aimed at the incoming freshman class, because, I mean, when I was a freshman it was probably the hardest year of high school. My grades weren’t the best, I didn’t have many friends. It just wasn’t an enjoyable experience and I’m sure you can ask many students; their freshman years were the same. It would be something written by the students, for the students, so we can help these freshmen acclimate quicker rather than taking the whole freshman year. Maybe the first quarter and then they’re up and running with the Stanton norms.

DA: How can you improve or maintain Stanton’s environment as good for its students?

SA: Just touching off of some of my ideas, another point of my platform was Mental Health Week, I feel like with the betterment of that that would positively influence our students’ mental health. Many students say this school is hard. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but with stuff like the course surveys, taking classes that are actually right for you, rather than just blindly signing up for classes, could tremendously help the environment. Taking classes that you enjoy that aren’t too hard or too easy for you. It really puts kids in a good mental place.

DA: What do you think of the Stanton community currently? What are some areas that you think need improvement?

SA: I think the Stanton community is great. The one thing I do have is it is pretty divided. You have your theater kids, you have your multi kids, you know. Through academic clubs, sports, multi, I have a good grasp on what it means to be a well-rounded Stantonian. By helping others become such well-rounded students, that’s the only way to truly have a good mindset on the environment of Stanton as a whole.

DA: What experience do you have as a leader?

SA: Like I said, as class historian last year I was at the forefront of many projects. Another thing is our Florida Youth in Government program. We have a chapter here at Stanton that I participate in, as well I’m a regional officer for one of five regions in the state of Florida. There are other smaller things, like I’m a volleyball coach at my volleyball club, coaching kids from ages 5-7, we have practice once a week. I love working with people, so with all it’s built me up to be quite a leader.

DA: Why are you a more qualified candidate than those you’re running against? What advantages or strengths do you have that they do not?

SA: Some advantages or strengths I have over the other candidates is experience as last year’s junior class historian. I really brought the work ethic and dedication to that position, it turned out great and I’m really looking forward to bringing that to this position.

DA: If you voted for one of the other candidates who would you vote for and why?

SA: I’d probably vote for Cole Yaffee. He’s a really good friend of mine. We’ve known each other since we were yay-high. And I worked with him last year, he works great. I’m friends with the three other candidates but I feel like if I was just a voter, I’d vote for him.

DA: Why should people vote for you for SGA President?

SA: I feel like they should vote for me because they’ll get an unprecedented amount of cooperation. One of my main goals is to build this one cohesive unit between class officers and student government. With me being well-versed with the current and prospective officers, that eliminates any transition time and we can work together well.