South High senior Ashely Alvarez Tovar, a chapter officer of Educators Rising, shares both her experiences and what the Educators Rising club is all about.
In your own words, what is Educators Rising?
Alvarez: Educators Rising is a club for people who want to continue a path in their career that includes education and also a club where people just join to have fun.
How did you first get involved in this club?
Alvarez: I first got involved in this club in my junior year. At that time, I had senior friends in the club, and they told me to join. Ever since then, I’ve grown good relationships with everyone there and a passion for it.
What is your role in this club?
Alvarez: I am a chapter officer. A chapter officer is a leader in Educators Rising where you have to set a good role model for everyone else there. You’re also the one in charge of doing the activities and having people engage with one another.
What is one thing you have learned from being in this club?
Alvarez: One thing that I learned from this club is time management and leadership. Time management is important because, of course, the meetings are after school, and after school I have work, so I have to squeeze in time to attend those meetings since I am a leader in the club. Leadership is important because I have to set a good role model for everyone and be engaged, as well as help others.
What kinds of events or activities does this club usually organize?
Alvarez: The club usually organizes Nightmare on L Street and spirit week.
What skills or interests does this club influence in students?
Alvarez: It mainly focuses on students who want to engage in education, and I feel like it makes people step out of their comfort zone because we compete in front of other people and interact with others more. Responsibility would also be one because, for projects, we have a due date with requirements. If you engage in after-school events, you have to show up and do what the teacher tells you to do.
How often does the club meet and what usually goes on during meetings?
Alvarez: Right now, we meet every other week. What usually goes on in the meetings is that we do activities that make us interact with one another, and we talk about state and nationals. We also talk about activities that we are going to do around South.
What were your expectations before joining?
Alvarez: My expectations before joining were that I didn’t think I would care about education as much as I do now. How it changed was realizing that education is always around us, education is in our daily lives, and everyone should know the importance of education.
Have you faced challenges while being in this club? If so, how did you overcome them?
Alvarez: One of the challenges I faced in Educators Rising was last year, in my junior year, when my friend and I were doing our project and didn’t meet the deadline. We stayed up numerous nights trying to finish our project, and the night we got to the hotel we had to stay up really late to finish it. We overcame that challenge by being dedicated and responsible, while also using time management to finish the project since we had nationals the next day.
Who would you recommend this club to and why?
Alvarez: I would recommend this club to everyone at South because even if you don’t want to become a teacher or find a passion for education, you can still join and do fun things around school, like activities or events. Everything in Educators Rising is fun to do.
What responsibilities do club members usually take on?
Alvarez: Time management, because you have to make sure you are coming to the meetings. Also, being hardworking and dedicated to what you do.
What has been your favorite memory in this club this year?
Alvarez: When we did Trunk or Treat for kids at Spring Lake.
While being in the club, what has been a project, event or activity you have been proud of?
Alvarez: Trunk or Treat because one of my friends decorated his blue truck to be Cookie Monster-themed, and everyone loved it. All the little kids kept coming back to our car to get more candy and because they liked the decorations.
How has this club changed your leadership skills, or skills in general?
Alvarez: It changed my leadership skills because it made me realize that if I don’t show up, then other people don’t show up. If I don’t engage with other people, then I am not going to be able to help them. Being a chapter officer made me realize that I have a lot of responsibilities and that everyone is going to look up to me, so I have to set a good role model so everyone else can succeed in this club.
What is the community or atmosphere like within the club?
Alvarez: We are all really close. Everyone likes each other and creates good memories with one another.
Do you plan on taking the experiences from this club with you into your future? If so, why?
Alvarez: I am going to take time management, responsibility and leadership with me. Leadership can help you in jobs. For example, if you are at a job and teaching someone new, you have to take leadership and show them the best of yourself. Responsibility is important because you have so many things you are responsible for, and if you don’t do them, you’re the one who faces the consequences. Time management matters because even if you’re unmotivated or too busy, you still have to push through and finish what you need to do. No one else is going to do it for you.
