What is a leader? The better question is what qualifies someone to be a leader. White Station High School provides a plethora of clubs, but the special twist is that the ones running it are students instead of teachers. Students are the real unseen heroes when it comes to directing the club; they have to juggle their ongoing academic studies and manage a growing extra-curricular activity. However, being a club leader can be a good and bad thing.

“It is a unique experience working with a diverse group of people and I’m able to talk with people I wouldn’t on a regular basis,” said Brian Nwokeji (11). The overwhelming responsibility of being in charge of a group of peers is a hard pill to swallow, because you have to make the tough decisions and find a harmony between good cop and bad cop.

On one hand, you might have a leader who finds the perfect balance and finds a way to encourage and control the club. “I think it is cool having a club leader that is a student because you can do things that you wouldn’t normally do with a teacher,” said Rahni Stewart (10). When this balance is found, it helps the club to flourish since the leader isn’t taken advantage of and the members don’t feel like the leader has all the power.

On the other hand, you could have a leader that becomes more of a tyrant in their organization. “However, being in a position of so much power does go to my head sometimes,” Nwokeji said.  This tends to happen when the leader is elected by a popular vote, but they aren’t necessarily the best person for the job. “I would rather have a leader younger than me with more experience, than a leader who is older than me but more popular,” Stewart said.

Student leaders do play a very pivotal role in the various organizations around the school, but the way they run these clubs makes all the difference. You can either have the leader who is popularly elected and cares too much or too little, or you can have the leader who strives for a balance that makes everyone comfortable. Leadership style is what these leaders should aim to change or perfect to achieve what their peers want and need.