Enriching school culture, ensuring the student body is well-represented, and encouraging cohorts across all year levels to try something new have showcased the organisational talents of Anirudh Reddy Sripathi. As one of ACG’s highly-motivated STUCO team, he and his fellow prefects were tasked with developing exciting, creative and dynamic digital activities and events to motivate and inspire across the academic year.
With a wealth of leadership experience behind him (as leader of the school’s Eco-Warriors Committee and a former House Captain), Anirudh’s pragmatic approach and analytical problem-solving skills meant he was a key driver behind many initiatives. He reflects on the highlights and rewards of being part of the 2021-2022 STUCO team.
Why do you feel it’s so important for students to be involved in the school's leadership?
Student leadership is essential because it gives us the opportunity to express our wants and needs through a larger constitutive student government. It allows us to contribute to and potentially make a difference in the decisions the school reaches.
As student leaders, we act as role models and can help guide younger students in the right direction. Furthermore, these roles allow us to develop our creativity, collaboration and leadership abilities, which are incredibly beneficial in day-to-day life and important life lessons for the future.
Since many of your events were held online, how did the STUCO team encourage student participation?
Due to the pandemic, it was crucial for students to feel engaged and connected with the school, so we needed to come up with innovative solutions to involve them in a wide range of events. We focussed on ensuring these activities were entertaining and appealing, so students were enthusiastic and motivated to be part of the fun.
Communication was vital, and we regularly sent emails and updates to students, parents, advisors and homeroom teachers across the school. We also wanted to keep our messaging fresh and exciting, so we experimented with new designs and artwork for on-campus posters and social media (such as Instagram stories, posts, and reels) to complement our communications.
One of the school’s most eagerly anticipated initiatives is always Literacy Week. Can you tell us what activities STUCO implemented to support this popular event?
Our aim was to raise awareness about the importance of reading and writing and inspire ACG School Jakarta's students to make these activities a regular part of their daily routines. We coordinated various fun and educational events and games, including online book discussions, dressing up as a beloved character, and hosting a poster competition where students submitted artwork showing their favourite books. We promoted the school library and highlighted the benefits of developing your reading and writing skills, appealing to different audiences in different ways.
What are the most important lessons you learnt from helping organise these events?
I think the most valuable lessons would be understanding and acknowledging the different strengths and weaknesses we each possess and learning how to allocate tasks and assignments accordingly. Additionally, I worked on improving my analytical and evaluative skills, which enabled me to achieve my targets more efficiently.
As the leader of the communication division, I also focussed on developing my writing and editing skills. And I embraced my creative side through graphic design and video editing whenever the opportunity presented itself. Plus, coordinating with younger students has helped me become a more compassionate, caring and patient person.
How do you think these skills will benefit you in the future?
Being a creative, innovative problem-solver, good communicator, and critical thinker will be extremely useful throughout my university life and eventual career. These soft skills apply to any profession or role and translate well into the real world. They have given me the ability and confidence to lead conversations and discussions with clients, peers, colleagues, and other team members.
What have you enjoyed most about being a part of the STUCO team?
This year I had a lot of enjoyable experiences and memories which I will cherish forever, particularly the discussions with my fellow student leaders and STUCO members. Sharing my thoughts and feelings on different topics while equally and fairly considering various perspectives and approaches was a definite highlight.
One of the reasons I love working in the student council is my keen interest in tackling leadership roles and the work it involves. From the moment an idea is born to when it becomes a reality, the whole process is enjoyable, satisfying and rewarding. Being able to see the smiles on the faces of students makes it even more motivating.
