This week we’re hearing from Levi Samuel in Anchorage. Samuel is a lifelong Anchorage resident who attends East Anchorage High School. He was part of this year’s Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute.
SAMUEL: I was looking for something new, something fresh. I’ve done Leadership Junior Fellows program over at UAA. I’ve done Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). I did that last week. And I just wanted something new. I wanted to expand my leadership tool belt.
I’ve also been, not just a literal leader, but I was team captain of the Robotics team at one point, before I actually had to leave. I’ve led in that aspect. I’ve also just always strived to have other people lead. I’ve always pushed other people to their highest point of success that I can do.
I also do acting. I’ve been on stage live and we’ve done shows. I’ve also done backstage in the crew, and the people that basically do everything behind the scenes. I’ve also done debate at one point and another. I’m also gonna start next year doing dance. I’ve been interested in auditioning for the Dance Contemporary team that we have here at East High School. That’s about it as far as extracurriculars go. I haven’t exactly touched on sports yet, but that’s still a possibility.
I feel the need to do so many activities because I;m me, and I’m a very diverse person. Just knowing that I do so much more than the eight activities I just listed. I like to cook. I like to roller blade. I like to ice skate. I like to do so much different stuff. To be perfectly honest, if East High School opened up to more talented… more of the arts, because art in general is such a broad topic. I feel like if East High was to do more into the very specific or the different types of arts, I would be open to a lot more activities.
In general, I think I have been a good leader, but I feel like I can always grow and do more.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
