Getting to Know Your Student Body President
Delaney Graham is the current Sweet Home Student Body President and she has one of the toughest jobs any student could have.
Delaney Graham is the current Sweet Home Student Body President and she has one of the toughest jobs any student could have.
Delaney, being the Student Body President, serves as a non-voting member on the Board of Education. Being in that role, not only does she have to separate her opinion from that of other students but she also has to fairly and equally represent all opinions of her constituents.
“Just knowing that I’m supposed to do that has been difficult, I don’t talk to every single student and I don’t know every single student‘s opinion.” Delaney said when asked how difficult it is to separate opinions.
“Sometimes they ask me ‘What do most students think?’ and I’m like I know my friends opinion, I know my opinion, but I haven’t spoken to every single student. So it’s been difficult just trying to figure out what the general opinion is.”
“I know that’s supposed to be my role. So I try to say ‘This is what I think people’s opinions are, and here’s what my opinion is.’ Whether they are the same or different I want to represent both accurately.”
Delaney has been a part of Student Government since it was founded. Back then when she was a sophomore senator she never dreamed of being President. “I really liked being a senator, I thought I was gonna be a senator all of the years I could run.”
In her junior year she decided to risk it all and run for Vice President. “I was really worried that I wouldn’t be involved in Student Government if I didn’t get Vice President, but I still decided to give it a shot because it was what I wanted and I thought I would be able to do it well.”
Now in her senior year, Delaney is the top Student Government official and is tasked with leading the Student Government in its day to day operations. She credits Sweet Home with preparing her for this type of position, “All of my years being a part of the district and one of the Sweet Home core values is leadership so they have always tried to push you into leadership roles….I am prone to ambition and prone to pushing myself, Sweet Home’s nurture and nature made me like leadership positions.”
After Delaney graduates this year, although nothing is final, she hopes to attend Binghamton University for environmental science and would like to one day move to Alaska. Delaney also said that she is considering the possibility of double majoring in environmental science and political science. She is unsure if her path will be more “science-y” or public policy, but she is definitely considering being a lobbyist.
Delaney’s inspiration comes from her parents, she said. “I’m lucky to have a good relationship with them and I really do look up to them for everything and they help me a lot with emotional turmoils, the pandemic, and everything.” She also mentioned her mom specifically, “…she’s pretty cool. She has her masters degree, she pursued higher education, which I think I’ll pursue, and she’s just pretty cool. She inspires me.”
Hunter is a junior at Sweet Home High School. This is his third year with The Panther Eye and he currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief. He will primarily focus on growing The Panther Eye as an organization as well as authoring occasional articles. If interested in joining The Panther Eye team contact Hunter using the options below!!