A Special Edition of Best Friend Friday
AS A NOTE: I wrote this post yesterday and intended to post it yesterday for "Best Friend Friday" but the spacing and the formatting of the pictures were both way off so I just decided that rather than waiting for a full week, I'd just post it today.
As you'll remember, a few weeks ago I tried to institute something new into this blog. I called it "Best Friend Friday", generally meaning that I would simply write a post about one of my friends each Friday. Clearly, my follow-through on that idea has fallen pretty short. From now on, Best Friend Friday will not be an occurrence that repeats each and every week, but something that happens every once in a while at my own judgment. That way, I won't feel like I've failed if I miss a Friday, and I won't rush and post something lazy just because I feel like I have to. Cool?
So this edition of Best Friend Friday is pretty special. It's special because I'm not highlighting any one person, but a collective group of some of the most amazing people I know. This week's post is about the Student Government at Bingham High.
I honestly do not know the words adequate to express the amount of admiration I have for Bingham's student government. They all do so much and work so hard and I'm so grateful for what they do for our school. But even more than that, they're amazing people. They're all so kind and so funny and so compassionate. It's kind of ridiculous. I don't know exactly how they were chosen to serve on student government, but the selection process was pretty spot on. They all fill their roles perfectly, at least in my mind. And I'll be fair. I've attended Bingham for less than half a year, so I don't necessarily know each and every single one of them perfectly.
But that's the thing. I've been at Bingham for less than six months, and I've already grown to love them with everything that I have. I love who they are and what they do. And that has to mean something, right?
Once, as we were discussing the reality that I was transferring to Bingham, Jansen Nipko (one of my best friends, a class officer at West Jordan) told me that he wasn't super excited that I was leaving. He did tell me, though, that the student government was solid there (WJ's student government had attended a leadership conference at Utah State University which Bingham had also been at, so they got pretty close).
Man, he was right
In fact, I made friends with Brigham Jewkes (Bingham's student body president) within the first two weeks of school because of Jansen. I sort of knew who Brigham was, but I didn't know exactly how to approach him. So I took the easy route. I said, "Hey, You're Brigham Jewkes, right?" Unsure of who I was but still being as friendly as he always is, he told me that he was. I asked him, "Do you know a kid named Jansen Nipko?" And he kinda freaked out because he loved Jansen and then we started talking and it was just cool. Over the next couple weeks, we got closer, and Brigham would always introduce me to just about anyone with the phrase, "This is Giancarlo! He's Italian! He speaks Pasta!"
Over the months since then, I've had the chance to get to know a lot of the members of student government better. And I've loved every minute of it. They inspire me to become better. They make me happy. They remind me that being a Miner is an honor. An honor that I have not earned, but one that has been given to me. I have been adopted by a family that has welcomed me with open arms.
And I'm so grateful.
Grateful beyond words.
I wish my simple writing could do the people I am about to write about some sort of justice. I know I can't convey how absolutely mind-blowingly fantastic all of these people are. But if you've met them, you already know. Regardless, here goes.
Andrew is one of the guys I look up to most in my life. He is so funny and so genuine and I love him to death. He's also stylish as heck and his instagram page is so dang sick. He's a major stud and he's just way cool to be around.
As you'll remember, a few weeks ago I tried to institute something new into this blog. I called it "Best Friend Friday", generally meaning that I would simply write a post about one of my friends each Friday. Clearly, my follow-through on that idea has fallen pretty short. From now on, Best Friend Friday will not be an occurrence that repeats each and every week, but something that happens every once in a while at my own judgment. That way, I won't feel like I've failed if I miss a Friday, and I won't rush and post something lazy just because I feel like I have to. Cool?
So this edition of Best Friend Friday is pretty special. It's special because I'm not highlighting any one person, but a collective group of some of the most amazing people I know. This week's post is about the Student Government at Bingham High.
I honestly do not know the words adequate to express the amount of admiration I have for Bingham's student government. They all do so much and work so hard and I'm so grateful for what they do for our school. But even more than that, they're amazing people. They're all so kind and so funny and so compassionate. It's kind of ridiculous. I don't know exactly how they were chosen to serve on student government, but the selection process was pretty spot on. They all fill their roles perfectly, at least in my mind. And I'll be fair. I've attended Bingham for less than half a year, so I don't necessarily know each and every single one of them perfectly.
But that's the thing. I've been at Bingham for less than six months, and I've already grown to love them with everything that I have. I love who they are and what they do. And that has to mean something, right?
Once, as we were discussing the reality that I was transferring to Bingham, Jansen Nipko (one of my best friends, a class officer at West Jordan) told me that he wasn't super excited that I was leaving. He did tell me, though, that the student government was solid there (WJ's student government had attended a leadership conference at Utah State University which Bingham had also been at, so they got pretty close).
Man, he was right
In fact, I made friends with Brigham Jewkes (Bingham's student body president) within the first two weeks of school because of Jansen. I sort of knew who Brigham was, but I didn't know exactly how to approach him. So I took the easy route. I said, "Hey, You're Brigham Jewkes, right?" Unsure of who I was but still being as friendly as he always is, he told me that he was. I asked him, "Do you know a kid named Jansen Nipko?" And he kinda freaked out because he loved Jansen and then we started talking and it was just cool. Over the next couple weeks, we got closer, and Brigham would always introduce me to just about anyone with the phrase, "This is Giancarlo! He's Italian! He speaks Pasta!"
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| Mr. Jewkes in his natural habitat |
And I'm so grateful.
Grateful beyond words.
I wish my simple writing could do the people I am about to write about some sort of justice. I know I can't convey how absolutely mind-blowingly fantastic all of these people are. But if you've met them, you already know. Regardless, here goes.
Brigham Jewkes
I don't even know where to start with Brigham. He's just so kind to everyone. I think he probably knows the name of every student at Bingham (I exaggerate, but it's pretty close), which is pretty impressive. He just makes an effort to make every single person he comes in contact with know that he cares about them. And I love the fact that he always just puts himself out there and doesn't worry about people's judgments of him. Brigham, I look up to you in more ways than you know.
P.S. I'm super excited for our date, Brigham!
Andrew Boud
Andrew is one of the guys I look up to most in my life. He is so funny and so genuine and I love him to death. He's also stylish as heck and his instagram page is so dang sick. He's a major stud and he's just way cool to be around.
Andrew is the SBO over service, and it's easy to see why. From what I've seen, Andrew is a pretty selfless person. He's always looking for ways to make other people happy, and he just loves to have fun. Andrew, you're amazing.
Dallin Bentley
Dallin is so freaking cool. Whenever I pass him in the halls, he'll always call out my name and just drag out the first syllable enough to make me happy in a weird way that I can't explain very well. He's always open to everyone and he always makes people feel included, or at least he makes me feel that way. I enjoy the fact that he allows himself to be immature sometimes (I keep a specific round of Kahoot during lunch in the back of my head as I'm writing this), because it reminds me that everyone's just a kid deep down, and we don't always have like everyone else thinks we should, and joking around is what makes life fun. Such a bro, I love him tons. Dallin, you rock.
If I had to describe Clara in one word, it would be this: kindhearted. Clara is just sweet and kind to everyone, and I love that. She's really understanding and compassionate and she just listens to everyone without having to be the center of everything. I think she's super sweet. Also, she's crazy pretty, which is quite a nice bonus. Clara, don't you ever change.
Madi is way cool. She's the SBO over spirit, and it's a no-brainer there. She's always hyped and full of school spirit and she will always get people pumped up, even if it's the state semifinal football game and we're down by twenty. She's super energized, and it's pretty contagious. Madi, you're awesome.
Arza Helm
Arza is such a sweet dude. Arza actually took one of my best friends to homecoming, which is sort of how I met him (you'll find that I make friends largely by association with other friends - it's not a bad system). He's a major stud and I love him. Plus he gives some dang good hugs, so do I even need to say anything else? Arza, you're the best.
Hannah Myers
Hannah is the sweetest. At one of the football playoff games, we stood next to each other in the student section and we went pretty ham. She also may or may not have let me borrow a sick beanie/scarf thing that matches Bingham's colors, which is super nice to wear. She's just happy to help everyone and she'll always make sure everything's going well for you. Hannah, you're just too nice.
Izzy Hanson
Izzy is pretty little, but her personality is pretty big. On the real, she's just so bubbly and way way way cool. Even if she can only remember my name half the time (and calls me "Juan Pablo" the other half), she's still pretty dang awesome to me. Oh also did I mention her voice is amazing?! She can sing probably better than like 100% of the population, which is so amazing to listen to. Izzy, you are quite wonderful.
Tyler Beckman
TYLER BECKMAN. OH MAN. Gosh Tyler is just my favorite. I was actually on the lookout for Tyler from the beginning of the school year, because my cousin had met him at EFY in the summer and wanted me to meet him. And man, am I glad I did. Tyler is just such a cool guy all around. I don't even know what to say. Today, we went dumpster diving and I also gave him a shoulder ride in order for us to un-decorate the school, which was a really fun time. Tyler is just the coolest kid and he's so nice to everyone. Tyler, I love you man.
Kenzie is one of the first people I met in student government, and it's actually pretty funny how it happened. Brigham asked me one day if I was going to homecoming, and I replied that I probably wasn't because I didn't really know anyone. He then proceeded to gather a group of probably around a dozen guys together to find me a homecoming date. We realized I could ask Kenzie, and so I did. When I asked her (she hadn't met me) and she was super confused, which ended up to be pretty funny, but the dance was a blast and so that was good. Kenzie's super nice to everyone and she's way fun to party with. Kenzie, you're rad!
Kaisia Abplanalp
Kaisia is easily the coolest sophomore I know at Bingham. Her hair is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen, so I mean that's a good start. She's way friendly and considerate, and her brother Tawson is super sick and he lived in Italy for a year so jeez I mean what isn't cool about her? She is just way nice and she's pretty fun to just listen to, because she's way smart. Kaisia, you're the sweetest.
And so I mean that's it. I already told you, but there's no way I could really tell you how much I love each and every single one of these amazing people. They mean the world to me. They definitely put the "stud" in "student government".
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| I LOVE STUD GOV |
