By Meera Patel, NJHS Historian, Class of ‘28
On February 15, the National Junior Honor Society inducted 21 new members. These students were inducted based on the five qualities held by each of the members: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Citizenship, and Character.
The newly inducted members are as follows:
- Olivia Bedard
- Mimi Brito
- Mariana Bustamante
- Lucas Caltagirone
- Tank Chavous
- Ella Demarest
- Alyssa Diaz
- Steffan Eksteen
- Antonella Gonzalez-D’Ambrosio
- Adam Hymore
- Efe Kozan
- Jaidyn Lakhan
- Emilie Lapouble
- Daliya Mousa
- Elias Mueller-Tautphaeus
- Lily McMillen
- Lyla McMillen
- Kayla Nguyen
- Brianna Ramski
- Yasin Rizvi
- Bridget Robbins
The inductees were asked how they felt about being inducted, why they wanted to be inducted, and how they plan to help NJHS. Below are some of their responses:
Mariana Bustamante Garcia: “I plan to do lots of community service and be committed to help NJHS.”
Efe Kozan: “In the ceremony, I felt really excited at first and then it was really fun.”
Daliya Mousa: “I was super excited to join NJHS; I always wanted to join so I could help my community”
Kayla Nguyen: “During the induction, I felt really anxious and nervous, but I also felt very proud of myself, and I felt like I accomplished something.”
Adam Hymore: “I plan to use my leadership and character skills to help others and spread kindness.”
Mimi Brito: “I felt excited but nervous at the exact same time; it’s hard to explain. I was shaking, but when they called my name, I took a breath and went up and I was calm by then.”
Alyssa Diaz: “Joining this society, I feel we can help make the community of our school safe and comfortable as we spread awareness to inspire others to be quality leaders.”
Lily McMillen: “The entire time I was just counting down until my name would be called. I was shaking and nervous but excited. I wanted to go up, but at the same time I didn’t. When they called my name, all my worries seemed to disappear, and I felt proud because I got back up after being rejected the first time and tried again.”
Lyla McMillen: “One thing that I will do in the NJHS is help with service as much as I can and inspire others to join the NJHS.”
Ella Demarest: “At first I was a little nervous, but once I was officially inducted, I was really excited and I enjoyed watching the rest of my friends.”
Yasin Rizvi: When I knew I was about to get called up, I was especially nervous since I knew what was about to happen. I knew I was about to get called up since I was the next one up. Also being the last one called, the suspense of waiting for my name kind of made me nervous. However, when I signed my name and actually got up there, it wasn’t anything nerve-racking or stressful, and it actually felt good to be up there with my dad. I felt very reassured and happy. Clearly, the induction was a mix of emotions for me.
Congratulations to all of the new inductees!