Many students are involved in their school’s community by participating in extracurricular activities such as clubs, associations, honor societies, or sports. Some are even a part of multiple extracurriculars, dedicating their time and effort to make a positive impact on their school. Senior Alaina Palalay does just that.
Palalay is heavily involved in the school environment, as she is vice president of the Student Council Association, historian of citywide SCA, a returning Salem High School Leadership Workshop staff member, and a member of the VPAA art strand.
“Being able to be involved in so many extracurriculars has allowed me to expand my skills in leadership, not only just in my school community, but the citywide community as well,” said Palalay. “I have and can apply these skills in collaborative projects in class and even future job positions. Taking part [in] these positions has pushed me to prioritize and time manage important tasks to get things done efficiently and smoothly.”
Of course, taking the first step forward is what brings a student closer to building these leadership skills. Sometimes, the first step taken is from following the steps of someone else.
“I first got involved at Salem my freshman year and immediately applied to join the SCA General Assembly to help with all of its events,” said Palalay. “My sisters were all involved in SCA in high school, so I wanted to try it myself.”
Even with multiple roles, senior Mirabelle Malone demonstrates how Palalay makes such a positive impact on Salem’s school environment and even further on other schools in the district.
“Alaina has worked hard to build connections and community within Salem,” said Malone. “Through SCA, she helps build activities to improve school spirit. Through SHSLW, she works to build cross-class connections and an appreciation for leadership within Salem from every single student. Through City-Wide SCA, she works to connect Salem with other schools and the school district as a whole to help Salem and other high schools learn from each other.”
Through building key leadership skills, Palalay takes note of one skill that is needed for those looking to get involved: communication.
“Communication is so important in any position, especially when you’re working for a big event like SHSLW or Homecoming,” said Palalay. “It helps guide effective decision-making, organize tasks, and coordinate roles in a whole-group setting,” said Palalay.
Besides building skills from these extracurriculars, her involvements allow Palalay to be herself and stand out as someone other students can look up to.
“Alaina has a lot of authenticity and goofiness that shine through in everything she does,” said senior Bethany Wilmoth.“From her style to her sense of humor, there’s a lot about her that stands out from her peers. It’s refreshing for all of the other offbeat artsy kids to see themselves in a citywide officer. I find that having those sorts of figures in leadership positions turns the tide of what a typical student leader may look like.”
Although involvement in extracurriculars is important in itself, Palalay also finds easier ways to manage her involvement at school while balancing it with her personal life.
“Recently, I’ve been finding that writing all of my meetings into a calendar has been super helpful with not only remembering meetings I have to attend, but prioritizing assignments for class I need to complete,” said Palalay.
Despite juggling multiple extracurriculars, Palalay’s involvement has led her to build connections with the student body and inspire others through being herself. Not only does she display leadership, but she truly embodies its definition.
