T he S tudent L ife P resident R ecaps H is Y ear . By Jade Rogers ’01
J
ohnny Auer has run for Student Life President, he has run on the baseball field, he may even have run to class on occasion, but it was during his senior year that Johnny hit a “grand slam” for himself. Johnny was swinging at many pitches, and he hit them far and high every time: Student Life President, varsity baseball, classes, college applications, and at the same time learning how to play the role of “serious boss, especially when Johnny loves to have a good time. Johnny says, “The key to handling all of my commitments school, Student Life, and varsity baseball - was organization. I had to keep my priorities straight and work hard to maintain a high level in all three. As far as being president goes, the key for me was not to micro-manage…by doing that, I allowed myself to have more time to focus on my own individual work, such as baseball.” For Johnny, running for Student Life President was the culmination of all the growing that he had done throughout high school. Entering La Salle as a freshman, he labeled himself as the shy kid who was not the center of attention. Johnny says, “I felt safe in that role but La Salle allowed me to explore outside of my comfort zone… La Salle has a welcoming atmosphere. Since day one, I never felt like a stranger. At La Salle, I felt that everybody can find a place to feel comfortable and can easily branch out and grow from there.” When Johnny was able to explore outside of his comfort zone, he realized then that he was, in fact, a leader. He says, “Everybody students, teachers and coaches - create a very inclusive community where a student can experiment with new things and thrive.” Johnny first became a part of Student Life his junior year. He was an assistant to the Commissioner of Publicity, where he helped do behind the scenes work on rallies. Being on Student Life his junior year made Johnny feel more connected to La Salle and it influenced him to want to make more of a difference. Then, when thinking about running for Student Life President for his senior year, he knew he should at least give it a shot. He says, “I realized that if I didn’t at least try then I would always live with that regret.” As president, Johnny says he was really proud of all the things Student Life accomplished. He realizes there are always disappointing and hard moments. Especially moments in which certain things need to be done but end up falling through the cracks or having the hard job of being around close friends and peers while having to maintain the leadership role of president. However, there are also great and exciting moments being a part of Student Life and being the president. Johnny says, “At the end of the year, we all sat down and discussed our favorite events. It really put into perspective all the things we did; Catholic Schools week, the rallies, community service projects. The best part of being president is when I get to hear all the compliments from students and teachers after a successful event. I took pride in what we did, but I would give all of the credit to the teams that put on the events. I was
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really proud of all the things we were able to accomplish. That is the key to being a good leader: stepping in where you are needed and staying out of the way when you are not.” Johnny will be attending the University of Southern California in the fall. He would like to study architecture and hopefully be a part of the golf or baseball team. After college, Johnny would like to open his own design firm and business. He says, “I would like to definitely give back to La Salle, because it has been a great place for me to grow as a person and to be successful.”