Passing the Torch

As the school year winds down, a meaningful transition is taking place across campus: senior leaders are beginning to pass on their roles to the next generation of student leaders. In clubs, affinity spaces, and student organizations, this handoff is more than a formality; it’s a process shaped by mentorship, reflection, and anticipation for what comes next.

For many current leaders, stepping back is both a proud and emotional moment. After years of building community and shaping the direction of their spaces, they are now focused on preparing others to carry that work forward. This preparation goes beyond simple instruction, involving intentional guidance and gradually giving prospective leaders more responsibility. Senior Matthew Lee, leader of the Green Team, explains, “I’ve tried my best to involve them in the process as much as possible, such as brainstorming the dumpster design on a white board during club meetings…” He notes, “There are so many moving parts, logistically and otherwise, and we need the successors to fully understand the process so that they can be adept at replicating it in the future.” 

Many of the senior leaders echoed each other in hoping that their successors continue to expand their outreach. Senior Cici Li, a head of the women’s affinity space EmpowHER (my co-leader!), remarks, “I hope Angel continues to bring her creativity and initiative to EmpowHER, especially in designing engaging events like our International Women’s Day celebration. Moving forward, I also hope she continues expanding inclusivity so even more students feel represented in our space.” I, too, hope that next year’s leader Angel will expand our affinity group, and I have no doubt that she will be incredibly successful (Go, Angel!). 

Senior Vincent Pierre, a leader of the Investment Club, has a clear vision for the future of his club: “I hope [the successors] continue to expand the club’s reach, bring in new ideas, and find creative ways to make financial education even more engaging…I also hope they take what we’ve built beyond Stevenson by going into the community to teach financial literacy to students who may not have the same opportunities we have, helping make a positive impact beyond our campus.” This emphasis on extending the club’s impact beyond the school highlights the broader responsibility student organizations can take on, making community engagement a meaningful and admirable goal for any club.

Incoming leaders, meanwhile, are navigating a mix of excitement and uncertainty. While many have already been involved in their organizations, stepping into a leadership role brings new challenges and perspectives. Some note that they feel prepared through mentorship from current leaders, while others acknowledge that there is still much to learn. Arman Sirjani, a 10th-grade prospective leader of the Green Team, confesses, “I am still developing how to turn strong ideas into sustained momentum across a group with different levels of experience.”

Another prospective leader of the Green Team, 10th-grader Ryan Han, adds on that “I was really surprised that being a leader gives you a huge amount of work and responsibility towards your team… Making sure our team achieves some help in the community consistently gave me some pressure for the first few moments, but as you keep doing it, it gets better and better.” As he says, leadership is a skill that can and should be polished over time; new leaders should always remember this as they inevitably encounter challenges along their journeys. 

Angel Zhang, a junior set on leading EmpowHER next year, shares a beautiful insight on her experience so far as a leader: “The most surprising thing for me has been discovering how many possibilities lie within everyone and everything if you give them a push. Stepping up to be a leader was a push that I gave myself, and it turned out to be the most fascinating thing I’ve ever done. I met so many new people and gained so much in this experience…I was initially hesitant to try out new possibilities, but it brought me so much more than I expected. I am really, really grateful that I made these choices.”

Just as the senior leaders hope for, the junior leaders are already setting goals for themselves to expand their spaces’ engagement. Sirjani says, “Building off this year’s work, I am excited to expand Green Team’s real-world impact by strengthening collaboration with facilities and outside partners.” Han adds, “One goal I want to achieve is to make a strong community-engaging group…I hope to try several activities in the community so that the students know the existence of the Green Team, and hopefully, they can support us in making our community better.” Zhang has a similar vision, despite environmental issues and women’s rights seeming worlds apart: “One of my goals for next year is to connect with an even larger community and to spread our influence beyond our campus. [For] example, the annual dinner forums are a very important and unique part of EmpowHER. I hope to continue this tradition next year and build on it by including…students from similar affinity groups in nearby schools.”

For the leaders-in-training stepping up for the upcoming year, leadership reflects both personal growth and a commitment to others. Sirjani wisely notes, “leadership…means turning awareness into action and creating a culture where sustainability is not just something people support, but something people actively take part in. It is about making the work feel tangible so people can see the impact of what they are doing and feel motivated…” His future co-leader Han expands, “I think leadership means taking positive actions for others, but also learning how to take care of things flexibly. By holding a leadership position, you can achieve…caring for the community and supporting your team members, among other responsibilities.”

On top of this, leadership can also carry deep personal significance. For Zhang, “being an EmpowHER leader means becoming the person I have looked up to ever since a very young age” and continuing the legacy of female mentors who shaped her confidence and identity. “They empowered me with so much knowledge and courage that I truly would not be who I am today without them. Therefore, being a leader in this particular affinity space has truly been a dream come true for me, and it makes me even more grateful and dedicated to making this space just as welcoming and empowering for every student and little girl out there.”

Finally, as senior leaders prepare to step away, many reflect not only on what they have accomplished but on the values they hope will last. Lee hopes to be remembered for the belief that “you don’t need a title to lead or contribute,” emphasizing that value often comes from those who work behind the scenes. He continues, “I hope my successors know that every individual’s perspective is equally important, especially when we are dealing with environmental issues…There is lots to learn from everyone, and most of the time, it is the person who doesn’t talk much publicly that makes the biggest difference when we openly share our opinions.”

In the Investment Club, Pierre exclaims that he hopes to have “helped create a culture at Stevenson where students felt confident learning about finance and taking initiative with their futures. I want to be remembered as someone who made financial literacy approachable, practical, and meaningful, and as someone who built something that continued to grow long after I graduated.” Hwang joins in, reminiscing on how “leadership in this space has meant supporting others behind the scenes. Through experience, I learned that there is also a quieter side of leadership, [such as] encouraging students [or] paying attention to small details.” 

Li’s experience in leading EmpowHER has led to her legacy of both advocacy and personal growth: “I hope to leave behind a legacy of connecting real-world women’s issues to our school community…” She reflects that “leadership in EmpowHER has given me the confidence to engage in conversations with peers and faculty about issues I care deeply about. I’ve learned that feminism can take many forms, such as through dialogue, support, and action, and I plan to carry that mindset into every community I’m part of in the future.”

Across different spaces, the transition reflects a shared understanding: leadership is not defined by a single individual, but by a legacy that evolves over time. As seniors prepare to leave, and juniors step forward, these communities continue to grow, shaped by both continuity and change.