The culminating assembly for last year’s Speak Up for Change week brought together a group of men and women dressed in blue work shirts, not accustomed to being in front of the entire student body. Senior Ingrid Pan presented each of the custodial staff with gift certificates, radiating with pride that she had the opportunity to recognize these “hidden heroes” to her peers.

Now serving as the Leadership class co-president alongside senior Nina Nelson, Pan is responsible for facilitating communication  with staff, offering assistance to the Leadership class, and making sure that Speak Up for Change is a success.

But Pan isn’t just the head of the Leadership class. Among other things, she is part of the Media Arts Program’s Leadership team, speech and debate and School Site Council.

“[All these positions] require a different kind of leadership,” Pan said.

Pan became interested in being a student leader during her freshman year, when she witnessed the impact of her first Speak Up for Change week.

“Freshman year, the student assembly was a time when I was proud to be part of the school and motivated to contribute as well,” Pan said.

Pan said that the impact of Speak Up for Change lasts long after the student assemblies and in-class activities end, and that this influence can help make the school a better place.

“Speak Up for Change is about seeing the issues surrounding our school and coming together to address them together,” Pan said. “We are all generally aware of the issues students face, but this week allows us to recognize [those issues] and create opportunities for discussion to solve them.”

To fully prepare, Pan and the Leadership class began planning in August, when they choose a theme. This year, the theme is “One Team, One Dream.”  

“We wanted Speak Up for Change to be about uniting the Saratoga High community to address different issues,” Pan said.

To make sure that the Leadership class is fully prepared for Speak Up for Change week, Pan has been working to ensure that every team does its job.

“My role is pretty much making sure everyone in Leadership is doing their part, and I can go around and help any of the groups,” Pan said.

Every year, after Martin Luther King Day, the week kicks off with a student assembly, typically with a guest speaker. In the next three days, students participate in in-class activities and attend a second student assembly on Friday.  

“We also work hard [to organize] the student assembly by communicating with speakers and figuring out certain new things that will happen on stage,” Pan said.

Although her position requires supervising and instructing her peers, Pan has a more humble idea of what true leadership is.

“Being a leader means getting your part done and contributing to the overall process,” Pan said. “I really enjoy just being able to play a role in Speak Up for Change coming together.”