Laura and Irene's Role as President

by Ciara Mulligan | December 2024

In every high school, the student presidents play a crucial role in representing their peers and helping to shape the school community. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Irene Payano and Laura Pllumaj, the current student presidents at Maria Regina High School, to discuss their roles, goals for the year, and what it takes to lead a school of students with different needs and interests. 

"There are things we disagree on, but it’s strengthened our communication.”

Laura and Irene have been friends since freshman year, but their decision to run for president didn’t come until just two months before the election. Laura explained that the idea to campaign together was a last-minute plan. The election process was tough, with many comments from their peers along the way. However, Irene noted, "We worked through it together," reflecting the strength of their partnership. Since taking office, their friendship hasn’t been without challenges. "There are things we disagree on, but it’s strengthened our communication," Laura said, showing how their experience has helped them grow as leaders and friends. Laura and Irene are pushing for a spirited pep rally and a festive Santa Run, both designed to boost school spirit and celebrate the holidays, in addition to these fun events, they’re advocating for senior privileges, like early release times and exclusive areas, as well as the addition of feminine products in school bathrooms to support students' needs. While all of these initiatives are still pending approval, Laura and Irene are excited to see their ideas come to life.

Being student body president is just what Laura and Irene expected, though it’s not as time-consuming as some might think. When asked about the time commitment, Laura explained that their focus on being present typically takes "one or two hours a week." Irene added that while they do stay focused on their duties, they also juggle other important responsibilities, like college applications, which take up a significant amount of their time and attention. 

“Listening to what people think is really important.” 

Irene and Laura pride themselves on being open-minded leaders, always valuing the opinions of others. “Listening to what people think is really important,” Irene explains. Laura adds that they actively engage with students by asking for feedback like they did for the pep rally theme. Originally, they planned a "Pink Ladies" theme, but after hearing from students who weren’t thrilled with the idea, they created a survey to let everyone have a say in choosing a theme that resonated with the majority. Despite their best efforts to include everyone, their biggest challenge has been navigating the freshman-senior-sister event. The planning process turned out to be more complicated than they expected. “It was time-consuming, and we had to make a lot of changes,” Laura says, reflecting on how much they had to adjust. Balancing so many different opinions so early in the year proved to be a rough start, but it’s clear that both Irene and Laura are dedicated to learning from the experience and making future events even better.