Student Life

In the United States, you are able to register to vote at the age of 18. In the 2020 election, Pennsylvania was ranked 4th by CIRCLE in their Youth Electoral Significance Index. Youth play a very important role in the state of PA and registering to vote is the first step in making your vote count. In big cities in the state, the registration rate for 18-year-olds is now below 20%, a big change from 2020. 

“I do not think young people have been excited about the political process,” history teacher David Widenhofer said.  “Many young people have a negative opinion of our political leaders and therefore they feel that their vote doesn’t matter.” 

But, he added, “Registering to vote has become a lot easier and accessible, you can register online and they have made it very easy.” 

Quinn Stefaniak ‘23 did register to vote, however, he did not vote in the 2022 election. He registered several days after he turned 18.

“I didn’t feel like I knew enough about the candidates," Stefaniak said. “I just didn't want to go in picking a party and voting for that specific party. I wanted to understand the candidate's point of views.” 

On the other hand, Jordan Gigler ‘23 registered and did vote. He was happy to have the opportunity to vote. 

“I voted because it is my civil liberty,” Gigler stated.

Encouraging young people to want to vote is very important. Whether or not you realize it, every vote matters. The younger generation has a very big impact on elections and doing what you can to spread the word about voting is crucial. 

“My mom was especially supportive with the whole process, and she even went with me to vote,” Gigler said.

Music is vastly prevalent in today’s culture. It can reveal the hidden qualities of a person, such as their personality based on their favorite genre, and it offers a way to escape from reality.

We made a survey asking students about their music tastes and we received a wide range of responses.

Majority of the applicants chose rap as their favorite genre with pop and rock being close runners. Students also chose “all the time” when we asked how often they listened to music with only 1 person choosing rarely.

As a review of favorite music at SJHS, the infographic (at left) shows the top 3 most favorite artists according to our survey.

Audrey Hepburn once said, “As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself and one for helping others.”

One of the requirements for graduating at Saint Joseph High School is completing one hundred hours of service. This allows students to connect with their community and instills the value of empathy, which is very difficult to teach while sitting in a classroom. 

Going out into the community and seeing how our neighbors live, imprints valuable lessons in students. Kathryn Huth ‘23 volunteered at a women’s shelter in Pittsburgh called Red Door. Here, she helped with fundraising for the women to have materials they need. She also organized the clothing closets and served meals. 

“I have learned to be more considerate and compassionate. I believe my experience in service to others has created a sense of meaning into my life because I am making a difference and loving every second of it while learning more every time,” said Huth.

Not only do students learn more about the world around them through volunteering, they also can learn more about themselves. Bezzie Yitnalem ‘23 spent time at Allegheny Valley Hospital. She stocked up materials, gave out water to patients, and disposed of old linens. She also designed online cards and the supervisor sent them to surrounding children's hospitals.  

“Since I want to work in the medical field, I got a closer look at how everything works in a hospital. It gave me a better perspective of what I might want to do in the future, and I think it’s really important to find an opportunity to have an experience like that,” said Yitnalem.

While trying to meet the graduation requirement for volunteering, students learn useful information that can help underclassmen with their experience. 

Yitnalem advises, “Start volunteering as soon as possible. Doing twenty-five hours per year is better than, and a lot more convenient than, trying to get one hundred hours in your senior year.”

Helping others could also help you discern a clearer path for your future too.

“Find something you’re passionate about and find a volunteering experience that plays off of what you’re interested in. That way, volunteering can not only become a habit, but you actually look forward to it,” said Huth.