Senior Spotlight Volume 4: Leaders of EBHS

At EBHS, one of the most important aspects of the school’s community rests in the leadership of the students. Many clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities rely on student leadership, while advisors provide a more hands-off approach. Sara Montes, one of the founders of the Esports club, went through the entire process to make that club possible. Jamie Harmon, a cross-country captain had to push his group to the very limit in order for them to be successful. Zunainah Dagia was the sole founder of the non-profit organization Young Muslims of East Brunswick.

Sara Montes’s proudest accomplishment is being one of the founders of the school’s esports club. This was the first year the club began at EBHS, and it was a huge success. Sara worked alongside the other founders to get sufficient funding for the club’s computers, an advisor, and other students to join. Sara is also an executive board member of the Class Council. Overall, Sara is a prime example of leadership in EBHS. Like many other students, Sara was greatly affected by the pandemic. Despite not being in person, she still tried to see her teachers “and get to know them” despite being virtual. The pandemic only drove Sara to get more involved when it was back to in-person learning.

Jamie Harmon, a cross-country captain, has been on the track team since sophomore year. However, it was during his senior year that he was able to become captain. He was in charge of a group of runners, leading them during warm-ups, workouts, and races. Despite setbacks, he has made a huge impact on the team and the group he led. When I talked to Jamie, he said that “despite not being the best runner, the thing that mattered most was the relationships I kept with my teammates.” Despite only becoming team captain senior year, Jamie has always inspired his teammates ever since he began running

for the team.

Zunaiah Daya, EBHS’s very own published poet, was also the founder of the Young Muslims East Brunswick, a non-profit organization. “I don’t see much representation of Muslims and Pakistanis, and I’d like to help change that”. This lack of representation for such communities is what drove her to create the club. Because of her devotion to diversity and equal representation, Zunaiah went above and beyond to work to create the club. While she could not find anyone willing to start it with her, she took the initiative to find the club herself.

These seniors have all made excellent contributions to EBHS in the form of leadership. Through their leadership, they’ve opened new gateways of success for fellow students, while also inspiring others. These three Senior Spotlights are exceptional leaders in their field, with each of them overcoming challenges to show their leadership by bringing new clubs to EBHS or leading fellow students.