Every school year brings the bid for ASB presidency. Hopeful students create elaborate campaigns, speeches, and incentives to win the votes of their peers. 

Results have been announced, with juniors Carson De Filippo as your 2023-24 ASB President, and Jack Golbaum as your Vice President. 

De Filippo is an avid volunteer, as a member of National Honors Society and the Ladera Ranch Teen Leadership Council, and he spends 100 hours annually with Lions Heart to serve his community.

The ASB President is proud to see his efforts the past few years paying off; he has been the class president each year of high school, and was even ASB President back in middle school. This year, he promised to buzz off his hair if he won the presidency; yes, he followed through.

Goldbaum, the upcoming Vice President, runs a videography business, where he takes and edits videos/pictures for clients and SJHHS. Additionally, Goldbaum is an active member in his church community. 

The Express sat down with DeFilippo and Goldbaum to ask them about their upcoming terms.

What was your initial reaction to hearing you are the next ASB President?

De Filippo: “It feels great! It feels great to finally be in this position. When I was waiting to find out, I was super nervous, I was scared as they announced it. When they said my name, It was like a weight of relief came over me. I was super ecstatic and happy that I have finally achieved what I wanted.”

Goldbaum: “I was nervous, but it felt really good because I know that the other candidates for the position were really good too. So, I’m super excited to hear that I won.”  

What was your campaign like? 

De Filippo: “I have been planning this campaign for like a year, ever since last year. To get people to vote for me, I just appealed to them through humor mostly. Like on instagram, I would post funny images of myself with a pun or witty caption that goes with the picture well. For my video, I had fun scenes and would change up the scenery to get people engaged and active, while also saying good things that I would do for the school to back it up. Then, I made creative posters for people who don’t know who I am. So, hopefully they would see the cool, flaring posters around school and vote for me.”

Goldbaum: “My campaign style is kind of just like fun. You know that’s kind of it. I appeal to the comedy side and more so being someone’s friend and their leader. I made a fun music video for the elections that I wanted people to be able to enjoy and love. I was listening to a song one day and thought it would be sick to parody it.” 

Is there anything new you want to implement?

De Filippo: “Ever since COVID, our school hasn’t returned to the same place it was, and that history is almost gone now, especially because of the graduating senior class. So, hopefully we can heighten up the school spirit with better spirit days and more active ASB. I really want to bring back the spring dance, Dance or Dye.”

How will your presidency make a difference at SJHHS?

De Filippo: “First, I think ASB will be harder working, more fine tuned which will trickle down to the rest of the school because more stuff will get done. We will go to more events and school spirit for our school. That will truly show what it’s like to be a stallion at San Juan.”

Goldbaum: “Well, positively, I’ll start with that. I think in general, it will definitely help get students excited to be at school. To be happy here, because I hate it sometimes too, so if I can just make it as fun and enjoyable as possible I will feel that I have done my job well. It’s where we spend the most time so we have to make the most of it.”

What do you want your high school legacy to be?

De Filippo: “I just want to be the guy who made high school better for the grades below me because I know that change doesn’t happen within one year. I know me coming into office, not everything’s going to become perfect. I just want it to be the first step in the right direction, so future years can grow on that and prove that our school can be better than it ever was before.” 

Goldbaum: “I want my legacy to be like ‘That was the coolest Vice President ever! He was so impactful!’ I want people to always remember how I helped the school and that I set an example for years to come.”