The 2021-2022 Austin Prep Student Council was recently elected into office! These compassionate, intelligent, and hard-working students are up for the challenge of governing the halls of Austin Prep and are advocating for your voices. Representing the Junior Class, Taylor Grohe has achieved the lead position as class president. Taylor is kind and intelligent, and her personality shines bright, leaving a positive impact on her peers. With the challenges she faces the Junior Class through their hardest year of high school, we are excited to see her plan of action. 

Interviewer: Valeria Centinaro ‘23

Interviewee: Taylor Grohe ‘23

• What are your favorite hobbies, extra-curricular activities, and passions? 

“I am a huge Boston sports fan and enjoy watching and going to all the games- especially the Bruins. I love to ski and travel. I participate in Model UN as well as the Youth Climate Action Coalition. Although these are hobbies I love, I think my real passion is helping people and experiencing different cultures. Each summer, I spend some time traveling and doing service work. I have been to other countries and built aqueducts, painted houses, and worked in fish ponds. My next trip planned is to go to Africa in June to do service work in the Atlas Mountains!

• Who do you look up to? 

“I look up to hundreds of people, but someone I look up to the most is my dad. He is so intelligent, funny, unique, and unafraid to be himself. He works really hard and also is a very kind person. Everyday, I try to channel him into my life. He is so inspiring to me because he is not just smart and funny, he is also incredibly empathetic. It is influential to see how much he cares about others and the world around him, and I hope that one day I will be like him in those ways.” 

• What made you interested in student government? 

“I have always been interested in student government. Even since I was little, I thought that it would be such a cool thing to be a part of. After transferring my sophomore year to this school, I learned that people truly root for each other here. They want to see their peers win and accomplish everything they hope to. I realized these people would be willing to cheer me on, suggest ideas, provide feedback, and treat me with respect. I felt this sense of unity and encouragement from my grade, and as the year went on, I decided that I wanted to cheer these people on and advocate for them as a representative, just like they did for me when I was the new kid in this crowded, friendly school that I was unfamiliar with. So I took a leap of faith and ran. I had lots of ideas and suggestions, and I think I really just wanted, and still want, to help the class achieve what THEY want to achieve, and be able to form influential friendships and relationships while planning fun activities.  The students around me were kind and encouraging, and without them, I would not be here today being interviewed. They taught me to reach for my goals and take a chance.”

• What are your goals for this year, and how do you plan on achieving them? 

“This year, I want to provide my class with new perspectives and ideas. Most of all, I want to value everyone’s opinion and take them into account when the student council and I are making decisions. My specific goal is to do more activities as a class, and I would like to achieve them by allowing my peers to suggest to me what they want to do. I would love to play some games and bond as a class, as well as use my peers’ suggestions in creating an agenda for the year. I want to have a fun, spirited year, and will do everything I am able to accomplish for the junior class.” 

• What are some ideas you have in order to unite the Junior Class and to improve our highschool experience? 

“Better spirit day themes, different activities at lunch, more choices for my peers, field day, sports games and events, and more!”

• What made you interested in student government? 

“I have always been interested in student government. Even since I was little, I thought that it would be such a cool thing to be a part of. After transferring my sophomore year to this school, I learned that people truly root for each other here. They want to see their peers win and accomplish everything they hope to. I realized these people would be willing to cheer me on, suggest ideas, provide feedback, and treat me with respect. I felt this sense of unity and encouragement from my grade, and as the year went on, I decided that I wanted to cheer these people on and advocate for them as a representative, just like they did for me when I was the new kid in this crowded, friendly school that I was unfamiliar with. So I took a leap of faith and ran. I had lots of ideas and suggestions, and I think I really just wanted, and still want, to help the class achieve what THEY want to achieve, and be able to form influential friendships and relationships while planning fun activities.  The students around me were kind and encouraging, and without them, I would not be here today being interviewed. They taught me to reach for my goals and take a chance.”

• What are your goals for this year, and how do you plan on achieving them? 

“This year, I want to provide my class with new perspectives and ideas. Most of all, I want to value everyone’s opinion and take them into account when the student council and I are making decisions. My specific goal is to do more activities as a class, and I would like to achieve them by allowing my peers to suggest to me what they want to do. I would love to play some games and bond as a class, as well as use my peers’ suggestions in creating an agenda for the year. I want to have a fun, spirited year, and will do everything I am able to accomplish for the junior class.” 

• What are some ideas you have in order to unite the Junior Class and to improve our highschool experience? 

“Better spirit day themes, different activities at lunch, more choices for my peers, field day, sports games and events, and more!”

• If you could pick one word to describe the Junior Class, what would it be and why? 

“Unique. Everyone is so driven and interesting while being completely different. I have never met so many people before I went to Austin with so many interests, dreams, hobbies, ideas, and opinions. It’s refreshing to be around not only hard working people, but also people who bring new things to the table, they make every day a different adventure with lots of laughs and good times.”