By now, you’ve probably seen the countless green posters with Sara Hishinuma’s face or the numerous reels she’s posted on her campaign Instagram. All of these advertisements present one message: Vote Sara 4 a New Era. But what does “Vote Sara 4 a New Era” really mean?
Having joined ASIJ in the 6th grade, Sara joined during the peak of COVID and distance learning. With hopes of meeting new people, especially after coming from an all-girls school in Hong Kong, Sara was eager to make new friendships and connections. Yet, her initial experience with the ASIJ community was tough due to COVID and the life changes she experienced after having moved from Hong Kong. However, since joining high school, she claims she has been able to fully explore the grade and friendships for the first time, feeling the sense of community she had long desired.
At ASIJ, Sara enjoys pursuing all the opportunities she’s been presented with and staying busy. Whether it’s through clubs, academics, or student life, Sara emphasizes the importance of always seeking and pursuing given opportunities. “One thing I’ve learned is to never restrict yourself. Always go for it and try your best in every opportunity,” she remarked. Her personal lesson from this stems from her hesitation in applying for StuCo during her freshman and sophomore years. Even though she wanted to represent the grade and improve her community, the fear of putting her voice out there held her back. However, ever since becoming a representative in her junior year, Sara learned to see StuCo as an opportunity — one she shouldn’t stall over.
This has now become one of the goals of her campaign: encouraging students to accept opportunities to create real impact, within or beyond the ASIJ community. “Take actions and make change because you want to, not because it’s competition or for applications,” she emphasized.
Another goal of hers is to increase student connection and engagement. “Especially for my grade, I think connection is important because our grade isn’t as close compared to others. It’s cliquey, and sometimes I myself am part of the problem, but I also understand how fun it is to meet new people,” she proclaimed. Furthermore, Sara recognizes that student connection also applies to relationships with teachers. She hopes to foster transparency between students and teachers, ensuring that students can speak freely with their teachers.
Through StuCo, Sara has been able to advocate for herself and the grade — something she understands many people are hesitant to do. “StuCo is fun, exciting, and adventurous, but the main highlight for me is realizing I could make a change in this school. I want others to realize this too because I think right now a lot of people believe change can’t be achieved,” she explains. Because of this, change has become another of her many objectives as StuCo president: whether it’s addressing the community-building ASIJ needs, improving student-teacher relationships, or even addressing students’ propensity to pursue new opportunities.
Sara’s slogan, “Vote Sara 4 a New Era,” may seem simple, but it’s clear that change is truly at the forefront of her campaign. Overall, Sarah is a candidate who wants to both encourage school-wide connections and support everyone’s personal passions and voices.
