Student Council Leaders 2024–2025
When asked to think about who they are, what they bring to Newman, and how these things might impact their roles as student leaders of Newman, all three showed a balance of being reflective, humble, and proud. Being reflective and building self-awareness is a characteristic included in the IB Learner Profile and also a valued aspiration of being a Newman student—whether in the classroom or beyond.
When asked to reflect on her leadership of the Student Council, Novah talks about being more outgoing and vocal in the role than she might otherwise be. She describes herself as being a bit reserved except when she gets passionate about something such as running the Student Council!
Watching Novah run the recent Fall Field Day, one can detect a leadership style that encourages colorful, spirited participation while also keeping a forward moving sense of organization. It’s not surprising that Novah also loves polo and car racing—each sport driven by a powerful engine (that of a horse or a fast car) that needs to be harnessed to be safely productive—to win the match or the race. Might we say a student body is also brimming with power and energy that with some strong, inspired leadership can be that much more productive. Whether guiding the power of a horse, a car, or a student body, Novah is well suited for leadership with a keen sense for the bigger picture—something that will also serve her in her aspiration to become an engineer!
As a biracial, bicultural person, Novah feels she draws inspiration from German, Indian, and US culture. Her favorite Indian holiday is Diwali—embodying her love of the joyful and colorful aspects of Indian culture. Her favorite German holiday is the German Unity Day, a celebration of creating a whole from its parts—highlighting Novah’s enthusiasm for bringing people together. Novah is a president who is invested in joy and in teamwork and is therefore able to bring out the best in people whether it is the rowdy crowd at field day or the entire school assembly. Novah shines behind the megaphone or up on the stage, cheering and getting everyone excited but also containing the group enough so as not to disadvantage anyone!
Teamwork is also the reason why Novah prefers polo to other equine sports; likewise, she especially enjoys the teamwork aspect of her Student Council work!
Watching Novah run the recent Fall Field Day, one can detect a leadership style that encourages colorful, spirited participation while also keeping a forward moving sense of organization. It’s not surprising that Novah also loves polo and car racing—each sport driven by a powerful engine (that of a horse or a fast car) that needs to be harnessed to be safely productive—to win the match or the race. Might we say a student body is also brimming with power and energy that with some strong, inspired leadership can be that much more productive. Whether guiding the power of a horse, a car, or a student body, Novah is well suited for leadership with a keen sense for the bigger picture—something that will also serve her in her aspiration to become an engineer!
As a biracial, bicultural person, Novah feels she draws inspiration from German, Indian, and US culture. Her favorite Indian holiday is Diwali—embodying her love of the joyful and colorful aspects of Indian culture. Her favorite German holiday is the German Unity Day, a celebration of creating a whole from its parts—highlighting Novah’s enthusiasm for bringing people together. Novah is a president who is invested in joy and in teamwork and is therefore able to bring out the best in people whether it is the rowdy crowd at field day or the entire school assembly. Novah shines behind the megaphone or up on the stage, cheering and getting everyone excited but also containing the group enough so as not to disadvantage anyone!
Teamwork is also the reason why Novah prefers polo to other equine sports; likewise, she especially enjoys the teamwork aspect of her Student Council work!
Louis is another important member of the team! He says he was surprised to be elected as the VP of the Student Council and one might wonder why, as he seems to be a natural and very effective in this role. He comes to this leadership position from the heart and also with an eye to his future.
It’s hard to ignore that Louis first came to Newman on February the 14th, 2023. Indeed, Louis lives our motto everyday with a full and open heart—something he felt was harder to do at his last school. Here, he cares a lot about the place, the people, and the program. One of Louis’s most notable traits is his loyalty—loyalty to his family, his school, his football team, his friends, and much more. Once you have Louis on your team—in this case on the Student Council team and on the overall Team Newman—you know you have someone dedicated to your success. Another trait that Louis leads with is his interest in the idea of moving forward with consensus. He believes strongly in people being able to express their opinions about whatever they care about, but he also values the process of coming to shared understandings.
Louis’s commitment to student leadership not only fuels his heart and speaks to our Newman hearts but it also frames his vision for his academic and professional aspirations and our need for a spirited and organized student body. A long time fan of history and politics, Louis’s goals include being a journalist or a politician. He has been particularly interested in US politics—scratching his head about why everything is so divided—but nevertheless intrigued. Noting that debating and public speaking both offer people a means to get to know their leaders or potential leaders, Louis observes that these two ways of communicating rely on different skill sets. Active in the Model UN, and as a school leader Louis prefers or feels stronger in public speaking than in debate because he feels it is more naturally from the heart. Nevertheless, he values debate and is excited to continue to develop this skill.
Rewind to Louis’s campaign to become the Student Council VP—his FFC posters demonstrated a weave of his enthusiasm for and loyalty to his Fulham Football (Fulham FC) team with his dedication to our Newman Cardinals (Fight For Cardinals)—and not just our incredible athlete cardinals but all of us at 247 Marlborough. We are lucky to have Louis as our student council VP—a leader who values the heart, spirit, and intellect of those he represents.
As the Student Council 8th grade leader, like Novah and Louis for the high school, Laura is responsible for running the weekly middle school assemblies. And she does a great job doing so!
Laura is in her second year at Newman and also aspires to become an engineer. She is getting a lot of practice in the Robotics club which she finds fun and inspiring but sometimes hard when “designs or codes don’t always work [or]... can take a while.” Not unlike student leadership where not everything can ever go exactly as planned.
One of her recent favorite Newman experiences was walking to the movie screening of “The Wild Robot” with her Robotics peers—using the city as our campus—getting time to be together to reflect on and celebrate having built the base of their robots!
Her favorite leadership task so far was designing the Trivia Contest at Field Day. She enjoyed designing the questions and getting to see people’s reactions. In terms of a welcome challenge, Laura is grateful for the responsibility of leading the MS assemblies which make her role in Student Council a much bigger one than before. She is also excited to soon welcome a 7th grade partner!
Like so many students at Newman, Laura has an international background. Her family is from Croatia and when she was younger, her grandmother, who didn’t speak any English, lived with her. Laura is appreciative of having spent her early years learning English and Croatian at the same time and now loves spending summers in Croatia.
Laura values her independence at Newman from being able to get lunch off-campus to being able to find the appropriate level in math or language. She believes Newman is a place for individuals to thrive while at the same time, a place to be a team player. From rowing crew to running cross-country, from being on Robotics, to being a Student Council leader, Laura values team camaraderie and good mentorship. Newman is lucky to have such a humble and inspiring leader for the middle school!
Newman provides opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to pursue serious studies in a welcoming and supportive environment where self and community are paramount.
