Julie Huynh, class president for the graduating Class of 2022, completed a lot in her four years at Malden High School.
Huynh was elected vice president during her sophomore year when the Class of ‘22 had officially gained a class advisor.
She reflected back on this time, noting that she originally wanted to run for secretary. However, after talking with their advisor Daniel Jurkowski, she questioned whether she should stay in this category or run for vice president. After much thought, Huynh made the choice to run for vice president and ultimately succeeded. She said that “after being elected as vice president and seeing all the support I got from that, I said, you know, I can run for president junior year.”
Huynh expressed, “being on student council comes with a lot of responsibilities, [so] it’s also been super hard, trying to make sure everyone is happy.” She continued, “but I think the most exciting part is just knowing that at the end of the day, it will all be worth it once we walk across the stage.”
Through all the fun, there were also times of stress. Shortly after Huynh, and the rest of the class of ‘22 officers were elected into office, COVID-19 struck and everything went into lockdown. With only one fundraiser under their belt, the officers had to find a way to adjust to online fundraising. Huynh noted, “that was super hard, learning how to adjust and do fundraisers online and still be able to connect with everyone, virtually, and not being in person.”
Huynh said that she has “always been a really ambitious person, even in middle school.” Even though student council was not a thing in her middle school, Huynh “knew that was something [she] wanted to be a part of” when she got to Malden High. She added that she “wanted to help make informed decisions for our class and help [the class] have a great four years.”
She decided to be a part of student council in an attempt to make her time in high school the best it could be. She expressed, “After I got elected, I saw how much support I got and how much people believed in me and just having that really encouraged me to do well for the next couple of years.”
Huynh was not only president during her senior year, but also President of the Feminism Club, Editor-in-Chief of The Blue and Gold, researcher for Psychology Club, a member of the National Honors Society and a part-time barista. “Everything I am involved in is something that I am genuinely passionate about,” she noted.
Although she does not regret taking part in student council, there were some moments where Huynh doubted being so involved. “Sometimes I do kind of doubt myself, [but] I feel like that’s normal.” Huynh revealed that while in the process of drafting her graduation speech, she felt like “there [was] so much pressure to really make something super meaningful.” She then reiterated that “having the support of so many people, that really pushes [her] to keep going.”
Huynh reflected on her involvement during her time at MHS, stating “this is how I contribute[d] to the school. This is how I left my mark, and that was really important to me.”
After going through four year of high school, Huynh’s only regret was stressing so much. “I feel like for the past four years, I put all this weight on my shoulders, and there’s all this pressure around doing well and succeeding. But, at the end of the day, we’re all going to reach that finish line. You don’t have to be first all the time.”
Her favorite part of her high school experience was the community. “The community that we built, I know sometimes things get super stressful, but I think our senior class, the Class of 2022, is something really special. What we have and the community that we built, the friendships that we built, I think all that is irreplaceable.”
While her final high school moments play out, Huynh stated “it doesn’t feel real, but it is super exciting, knowing that everything will work out…and all the hard work we’ve put in for the past four years is going to amount to something great.”
