By Razan Mbaideen – Activities Coordinator

When we hear the words “Student Council,” we imagine campaign posters, speeches, promises of more activities, longer breaks and maybe, if the campaign is ambitious enough, world peace. There are posters everywhere, students preparing speeches, campaign slogans appearing in hallways, and promises being made that sometimes sound almost too good to be true. But behind all the posters, speeches and campaign excitement, something much more important is happening. Student Council is one of the first places where students get to experience what it really means to have a voice and, more importantly, what to do with it.

Let’s be honest: students have opinions. Lots of them. They have opinions about the food, the timetable, homework, school trips, events, sports, music and, of course, the length of the school day. We want more Mulukhiyah and fewer beans. We want a healthy burger that tastes good. We want more activities, better events and sometimes probably an extra break or two. There is nothing wrong with having opinions, but there is a big difference between saying, “Someone should fix this,” and saying, “Maybe I should help fix this.” That little shift is where leadership begins.

A Student Council should be more than a suggestion box. It should be a bridge between students and the school. Students see things differently. They know what people are talking about in the hallways, what they enjoy, what frustrates them and what they might not feel comfortable saying directly. Being a representative means taking those voices seriously, bringing them to the table and helping find solutions. It does not mean promising that every request will become reality, because unfortunately, even Student Council members do not have magical powers.

And here comes the difficult part: not every idea will get a “yes.” Sometimes the answer will be “no.” Sometimes it will be, “Great idea, but we need a budget, approvals, a risk assessment, a timetable and possibly a miracle.” That is actually part of learning. Leadership is not about getting everything you want. It is about learning how to negotiate, compromise, explain your ideas, listen to other opinions and keep looking for solutions when your first idea does not work.

Being on Student Council is also a crash course in real life. You learn to work with people who disagree with you, speak in front of others, organize projects, meet deadlines, communicate clearly and take responsibility. You will probably discover that not every brilliant idea is as brilliant as it first seemed, and that sometimes the best idea comes from someone you did not expect. You learn that having a voice also means making space for other voices, and that being a leader does not mean having all the answers. Sometimes it simply means being willing to ask the right questions.

You will also learn that leadership becomes most important when things do not go according to plan. An event might have a problem, someone might forget their responsibility, an idea might not receive approval, or something might simply go wrong. These are the moments when leadership is tested. Instead of looking for someone to blame, a good leader asks, “Okay, what can we do now?” That ability to stay calm, find a solution and move forward is far more valuable than having the perfect plan in the first place.

And these lessons do not stay at school. One day, these students will be sitting in university meetings, leading teams, running businesses, working in organizations, starting projects, organizing communities, or simply trying to convince ten people to agree on where to have lunch. They will need to communicate, collaborate, solve problems, make decisions and take responsibility. Student Council gives them a chance to practice all of that now, in a place where mistakes are part of learning and where there is still room to try again.

Of course, there is always the temptation to see Student Council as a popularity contest or simply another impressive line on a CV. Who got the most votes? Who had the best campaign? Who gave the funniest speech? Who had the most creative poster? Those things might matter during an election, but they are not what makes someone a leader. Once the votes are counted and the campaign posters come down, the real work begins.

The title is not the important part. The important part is who you become while holding it. Leadership is not what happens when you win the election; leadership is what you do after you win. It is showing up, listening to people who disagree with you, taking responsibility, giving others credit, admitting when you are wrong and being willing to keep working even when things are not easy.

So, if you are on Student Council, congratulations. You have a voice, you have a seat at the table, and people have trusted you to represent them. Use that opportunity well. Do not be afraid to have big ideas, ask difficult questions or suggest something new, but remember that leadership is not about changing everything overnight. Sometimes it starts with one activity, one campaign, one improvement or simply one student who feels that someone has finally listened to them.

Because school is not only about preparing students to pass exams. It is about preparing them to participate in the world. And the world does not need more people who sit around saying, “Someone should do something.” It needs people who are willing to look at a problem, take responsibility and say:

“Okay. I’ll start.”

So… Mabrook, you’re a leader.

Good luck. The campaign is over. Now the real work begins.