At the first meeting of the semester, the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) chapter elected officers and established goals for the year.

Members made nominations for each of the four positions, then selected the officers by popular vote. Unlike recent years, all of the officers are seniors: President Elise Porter, Vice President Sydney Carlson, Historian/Secretary Austin Ward and Tutoring Coordinator Ricky Lopez.

A former event coordinator for the spring conference, Porter has been in CSF every semester possible.

“My goal is that we can have a productive chapter,” Porter said. “It should be more than just a club that people put on their college applications. We are going to focus on service, like the tutoring program and Christmas service project, because last year we only planned the conference.”

Another former event coordinator, Carlson ran for office this year to lead the club with her friends.

“They [officers] are all my friends, and it’s easy to work with them,” Carlson said. “We all have different strengths, and if we bring our strengths together, we will make it a good year. Since we are all seniors, we want to make this year memorable; we are united in our goal.”

Among other projects, the group of officers hopes to improve CSF’s peer-tutoring program. Last year, students were matched with a tutor and had to schedule meetings on their own. This year, however, all tutoring sessions take place after school on Wednesdays in Room 621.

As a first-time officer, Lopez is heading the tutoring program. He intends to facilitate their efforts to understand school subjects, he said.

“We had a system with tutors and students meeting once a week,” Lopez said. “There were conflicts when people didn’t show up — both the tutor and the student. We are changing to once a week after school so anyone can get help. They [students] can come and go — no commitments.”

The group also wants to make CSF more involved in service. Carlson, for example, wants to spend more time on the tutoring program and the Christmas project, she said.

“I want to involve the club in more projects,” Carlson said. “I want to make the club well-known for service, like the tutoring program, instead of being a group of kids with good grades.”

Adviser Molly Sargent expects the officers to develop their leadership abilities through CSF.

“I’m hoping that this is a great growing experience,” Sargent said. “They [officers] have some leadership experience, but not a lot. I hope they can appreciate being a leader. I have confidence in them; they can handle all that needs to be done.”

Given the responsibility required of an officer, Porter said the job can be stressful.

“It can be time-consuming,” Porter said. “But you definitely see the product of your hard work, so it’s rewarding.”

Since CSF’s motto is “scholarship for service,” Sargent believes the members should stand out among their peers.

“Being a member of CSF should mean something,” Sargent said. “People should assume they care about academics and strive to be successful, assume they have a heart for service and participate in service projects and assume they are willing to be a part of the community.”

For more information on CSF, read the April 28 article, CSF members reflect on year’s events, or check out the chapter’s website.

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