16 Features
Madame President
Senior Kaitlynn Adams balances the rigor of SGA presidency and the IB Program. Ashley Labbe Staff Writer
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earing the news that she was announced the Suncoast Sophomore Class President for the 2017-18 school year (SY), senior Kaitlynn Adams was ecstatic that her tireless campaigning efforts from the end of her freshman year had paid off. In this moment, Adams felt that she was prepared for any challenges she would face and the opportunities she would have to impact the sophomore class. Although winning the presidency was a major accomplishment at the time, the role was only a stepping stone to her current position as president of the Student Government Association (SGA) her senior year. Adams had always been inspired by the idea that she had the ability to make students’ ideas become a reality. For the 2019-20 SY, one of her main goals was to make homecoming week more interactive with activities at lunch and hanging extravagant decorations in the hallways. With her dedication to SGA, and her leadership positions at Suncoast, Adams has spent countless hours committed solely to SGA all while balancing the rigor of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. “I spend approximately 10 hours each week on a regular basis devoted to SGA. For Homecoming Week, I spend approximately 10 hours a day, which is 70 hours a week. For Homecoming Week, I am thinking about something every second that I’m awake, planning and organizing the events and festivities for the next day,” Adams said. Adams feels that it is often difficult to prioritize and divide her time. She believes that she often has so much planned for SGA that it leaves little time for her IB assignments. “Often times I feel like I am being pulled from opposite ends with dividing my time,” Adams continued, “My biggest challenge is that I care so much about SGA that I wish I could devote my life just to SGA, but I still have to keep myself grounded in my
Pictured above from left to right: Dakota Brisco, Daniela Salcedo, Emily Lampi, Kaitlynn Adams, Victoria DeAlba, Brooke Barberi Photo by: Monica Russell
education to a tee to receive my IB diploma.” With the amount of hours Adams spends on SGA, it has been her personal goal to improve the strategies she utilizes to balance her time on SGA, and the deadlines and courses of the IB program. She has tried utilizing new tactics to allow her to prioritize tasks between SGA and IB in a specific time frame. “I started making to-do lists in which I categorize my tasks as immediate and important, immediate unimportant, not immediate and important, and not immediate and unimportant. I’ve also found that color-coordinating things keeps me more organized and using an agenda is very helpful,” Adams said. Being in a rigorous program, while being the SGA President has taught Adams impactful lessons of time management, which will reside with her in the future as not only a college student, but even further in her future. “I feel that being in SGA has definitely prepared me for the many challenges of life ahead of me, allowing me to know how to handle stressful situations. I think being involved with SGA while in high school has also prepared me for the career path I would like to take in politics,” Adams said. As Suncoast Senior Class President, Brooke Barberi has had the opportunity to work with Adams for SGA projects. She feels honored to have worked with Adams as she sees that she cares so much about SGA. “Kaitlynn is not just participating in SGA to build her resume or to receive a sash for graduation, she takes it so seriously and is so passionate about it,” Barberi said. Adams’ passion is what sets her apart from other previous Suncoast class presidents. Her dedication to SGA is what allows her to create beneficial changes for the student body while balancing her academics.
Pictured above from left to right: Cedrick Charles, Brook Barberi, Kaitlynn Adams, Victoria DeAlba, Maya Calderon Photo by: Brandon Lee
