The future of La Sociedad

As the year comes to an end, it’s hard not to examine our future at Samo. Our head is riddled with ideas of what’s in store for the coming year and semester. For seniors, this feeling is even more amplified as uncertainty of the future is beyond tangible reach. We are forced to acknowledge not only what our future holds but also what we are leaving behind.Senior, Paloma Nicholas, knows this to be true. For the last four years, she’s been able to join and enjoy a variety of clubs. One of her most consistent being, La Sociedad, a club she has been in all her years at Samo and President for two.“La Sociedad has always been a huge part of my life, it’s something I have always been connected to because of my mom and love to lead, “ Nicholas said. Before Nicholas took over the club, it wasn’t at all what it is now. With the leadership of her mother, Spanish teacher Claudia Bautista, she transformed the club into the civic action club it is now. As Nicholas puts it, La Sociedad is a club founded on the idea that action can be taken into our own hands. Before her arrival at Samo, the club focused on community service,  but among their priorities was unity among the Latino community. “It’s been really interesting to see the club grow since we were all freshmen,” Nicholas said.As the club became more diverse, priorities shifted, and the club became embedded in the principles of civic action. “When Paloma came, she really focused the club on improving the lives of children,” Bautista said.Being that Nicholas is now a senior, the future of what club will be after she graduates is up for question. “[Paloma] has tried to bring in new kids every year. We have a lot of underclassmen and our Vice President is a junior” Bautista said. Vice President, Karina Davanzo, is hoping to lead with the same direction as Nicholas. “Hopefully with the amount of juniors we have we’ll be able to keep doing what has been working,” Davanzo said.While they have juniors to steer the direction of the club, they are still focusing on recruiting underclassmen. What they want to ensure however is that they remain fortified in the purpose of civic action and engagement even as the current seniors leave. “I’m nervous. I hope they continue in the same direction. It’s student driven so it really is up to them to direct the club’s agenda. But, I’d love to see, if willing, for it to grow to children closer to us,” Bautista saidFor now, Nicholas and Bautista are focusing on tasks immediate to right now. “By the end of the year we’re hoping to get a lot done. We want to continue donating books to inmates, go back to the orphanage in Tijuana and advocate for the rights of everyone,” Bautista said.Their main priority right now, however, is the the toy drive that ran up until Dec. 12.“We’ve been doing the toy drive for a long time, since 2003. When I was a little girl I was actually surprised with gifts when my family was struggling financially, so ti think it is something I really hold dear,” Bautista said. “It is really magical for all of us to be able to give and put a smile on someone’s face”