Junior Alisha Puri received a state award for her project as historian for StuCo State, which took place from Jan. 29-31 at Gilbert High School. Puri serves as the historian for STUGO, a role responsible for managing their social media presence and overseeing various creative projects.
Puri received this award at StuCo State for her individual project, which involved the creation of a scrapbook with detailed information about her council’s leadership and activities during the year. This project involved interpretation, creativity, and organization, which displayed the aspects of student government leadership. StuCo State was a statewide competition where STUGO programs from schools across Arizona came together to showcase their spirit and leadership initiatives.
This scrapbook was a long and independent process that took a lot of time and effort. Puri explained the project, “It was just me. It’s like this big scrapbook the historian makes, and it’s a huge four-page rubric with a bunch of interpretations of what our council does. One of the prompts might be an example of your council leading another council, then you think about what fits it, describe it, and make it into a picture.”
The fact that she received the award carried personal significance for Puri because of the effort she had put into the project. She claimed, “I spent a really long time on it, so it was just really rewarding. All my hard work was deserving.” Her award validated the time she spent researching the student council initiatives.
Puri attributed her success to the high level of support she received from her student council. She added that her main source of encouragement was her peers. Puri stated, “The biggest supporter is probably the junior class. It’s been just a really close group, and I know that if I ever needed anything, [we] can rely on each other.” Puri added that the unity of the STUGO was instrumental in ensuring that her best was achieved.
In addition to this prize, Puri continued, “I think we were just overall showing our unity as opposed to just competing.” This, she believes, is the council’s overall objective at StuCo State. Puri further commented, “I think we just, as a council, really just wanted to show how collective a council we are. A lot of councils are really worried about getting stuff done properly, and while our council does that, we’re very united. We’re all friends with each other.”
As far as the future is concerned, Puri hoped that this award would signify her commitment and work ethic to the STUGO. She mentioned, “I’m really hoping this award shows how much I can do and how much effort I’m willing to put in.”
After she reflected on her second year attending StuCo State, Puri said she considered her experience to have been memorable and energizing. She explained, “It’s just a really fun environment, seeing everyone, because you’re putting the most hyped people in your schools together.” Through her achievement, Puri showed her commitment, creativity, and leadership skills.
