High school can be considered an, “American Dream”, a dream that can affect every student.  Most look forward to it and some are terrified. But, with time a student is given individual memories and they grow into adults. Start of freshman year there’s a decision on whether to take AP classes, or staying at grade level. High school can be the time of your life or another 4 years.

Emily Frech a student that could be considered extraordinary. She’s Erie High’s Student Body President this school year. From being the new kid freshman year and only involved in dance, a lot has changed. She can now not just be found on the Erie High School Dance Team as a captain, but you can find her being a Link Leader helping freshmen find their way around the school. It’s also Frech’s third year in Student Government helping plan out events for the student body. She’s also part of many programs such as education foundation and advisory council. The goal being, “to fill up my resúme with all these different experiences…but also life experiences…” Frech adds. 

Erie High School supports all students and their goals that they want to achieve. Offering many opportunities such as AP classes, sports, and after school activities. Erie High school has an outstanding athletic program that offers athletes many ways to continue their athletic career through college. 

Knowing and having a strong schedule for how a student is going to balance high school and life is important. “I mainly use my time in class wisely…and my off blocks to do my homework.” Using the class time given wisely can allow a high schooler to balance family and friends time outside of school. Family and friends have a large influence on who you are as a person, and they ultimately can make you feel more confident about yourself and help encourage you in your dream.

As Frech says, it’s also important to, “put yourself out there;” you can never truly understand what you can do and what you can handle until you push yourself to an uncomfortable level of stress.

Frech advises that students should, “try to be involved in as much as you [they] can because you don’t want to be hindered from opportunities.” While being able to push for the opportunities for growth and wanting to learn new and interesting things a student can be encouraged to continue the push for the uncertain. Whether that’s a new job, or starting a business, don’t be afraid to “be hindered from opportunities”. 

Emily Frech hopes to leave a lasting impression on the school, and quite frankly, many students think that she has been able to achieve that. Like Mclaine Flynn, another senior, has seen Emily take risks and has put herself out there. But, she doesn’t like to take all the credit for herself, she’s proud to say she’s been influenced by past Student Body Presidents like Dario Hinojosa and Izzy Hageman. For the years to come she wants to be brought up for leaving the lasting positive impact on the community of Erie High School. She wants to be known for what she did, not the title. 

High school is designed to prepare students and young adults for real life, or college. It is the opportunity in which a student can prepare him or herself for what the future may hold. Being able to look for scholarship opportunities, different classes, or career pathways, they will ultimately help you find what you want to do for a way to make money or succeed in society is key to being successful in high school. Putting yourself out there and taking risks is one way to find out who you are as a person. 

Throughout all of Emily‘s clubs that she partakes in, most of the members and staff would say she’s left a lasting impression on the program. Emily Frech is the only dancer that has been on the team for four years. Not just her dance teammates, but the coaches are excited to see what Emily will do in the future. Since Freshman year, when she was the only freshman at the time, she had overcome the fear of being in varsity sports and not knowing anybody. Since that time she has been able to influence and change the dynamic of the dance team as team captain. Samantha Gambon, a junior varsity dancer for Erie high school has also been in the program since her freshman year. She says, “Emily had been a role model for all three years of my high school dance. The team will miss her and her leadership when she graduates, because she has left a lasting impression on the competition and sport itself…”. The team is looking forward to the years to come, and bringing home another state and National win with strong leadership and the encouragement of never giving up. 

It has also been Emily’s third year in Erie High Schools Student government. That’s where she plans out pep rallies, homecoming, spirit weeks, themes for sports events, and ways to make the school a better place. Through the many challenges of COVID-19 Emily was able to keep her head high and looked for as many ways to keep the school spirit strong. She had worked alongside the student body president, Dario Hinojosa and Vice President Reilly Jackson, in efforts to incorporate safe spirit days and weeks for the days that students were in person. Emily Frech likes to say, “when there’s a challenge…just keep pushing and try to get to a solution…”

When running for an executive position for student government, it takes place over the course of 1-2 months, where students are able to campaign and work towards a hopeful victory. Emily has changed the dynamic of running for an executive role. She has allowed the competition to become more like a race, requiring the candidates to actually campaign and try to earn the student bodies votes, with debates, posters and social media. Candidates that had run against Emily in the 21-22 running season for student body president, like Sydney Cope, a senior, says that, “the competition was fierce,” on her instagram shortly after Emily had been announced as the winner for Student Body president. 

Members of Student Government, such as Oliver Nguyen are thankful for the impact Emily has had on the class, pushing for perseverance and influence and what the students of Erie high school wants. “I think she’s a bright person that is academically inclined and athletic…and I think she deserves recognition for all she has done in the school.” Oliver liked to add on. He says that the atmosphere of the class has altered for the better with the willingness of all the members wanting to help make the school a better place. Emily likes to start the “class off with a smile and the agenda for the day”, Mrs. Stuart, the student government teacher. Once the jobs are handed to the members, they are allowed to plan and put together what they will, with the guidance of Emily. Oliver says he appreciates the “freedom” that Emily gives them when it comes to planning the events. When letting the students freely plan out what they want to do, also reflects what the student body wants. Once everybody has had their opportunity to brainstorm and work together, that’s when they can put it in writing and present it to the principal and Emily. Oliver says, “even though a few of our proposals don’t get approved by the administration, we still learn and have fun…” 

Before the school year starts, the school welcomes hundreds of new kids. These new kids will be starting high school, graduating from middle school, and one step closer to being an adult. Most of the freshmen coming in the high school are lost or scared, so there is a leading program known as, “Link leading”. The ones that choose to volunteer, like Emily, help show these kids around the school. Emily was a link leader that helped show the freshman around the school with the hopes to make them more comfortable in a school that will spend most of their time for the next few years. 

Emily has chosen to be a leader throughout most of her high school career. Starting out as a new freshman at a brand new school, not knowing very many kids she chose to eventually take the role of being a leader. Expressing herself, she had put herself out there when many wouldn’t. She would influence decisions for the betterment of the school and community. Frech will be graduating this May with the class of 2023, with hopes of going to school to be an engineer or becoming a teacher. She also plans on continuing her leadership goals wherever she decides to go, and continuing to express and put herself out there for the challenges to come her way. For many years to come her impression on the school will be sure to stay.