There are eight juniors running for NDB’s Associated Student Body (ASB) for the 2026-27 school year. These candidates will fill only six leadership positions and will manage next year’s student government and various student-related activities.
On Friday, May 1, they will gather with the student body in the Moore Pavilion and each will deliver speeches on why students should choose them. Afterward, everybody will be dismissed back to their homerooms to practice their civic duty and vote for their representatives.
The Catalyst and Tiger TV reached out to the eight students and asked them about their campaigns. They are listed in alphabetical order according to their last name. Quotes were lightly edited for clarity and length.
The Catalyst (TC): What is an important quality in an ASB leader?
Allie Dorn: An important quality of an ASB leader is dependability. This is important because people should feel like they’re able to rely on you and trust you to always get things done.
Grace Enfield: I think a super important quality for an ASB leader is approachability because I think it’s important that every student should be able to approach you and feel comfortable coming to you with ideas or questions or concerns.
Cadence Goblirsch: I think the most important qualities in an ASB leader are the ability to listen and also dedication. I think ASB isn’t just about one person – It’s about representing the whole student body. So, having the ability to listen to others and make sure they feel heard is really important. I also think being dedicated to your role and being passionate about your role is also important because you can then turn your ideas into action.
Sammy Kakala: An important quality in an ASB leader is having the ability to listen to students’ voices and apply them to what they’re doing.
Caitlyn McCabe: An important quality in an ASB leader is resilience. Throughout the school year, there might be some obstacles or challenges that ASB leaders might be facing, whether it’s planning for Aquacades or encouraging students to participate in rallies or dress up for spirit days. I feel that ASB leaders should not let this ever intimidate them, and they should overcome any challenges that come their way.
Clarissa Raposo: An important quality in an ASB leader is resilience because you have to persevere through all the problems intelligence that may occur throughout the year.
Kiki Shah: I think an important quality of an ASB leader is being open minded because it’s important to represent the entire school. People should feel comfortable sharing their voices and feel like their opinions are being heard, especially since ASB is such a small group of students compared to an entire student body.
Emily Weisman: I think a very important quality for being an ASB leader is having the ability to listen to others and to be able to contribute effectively toward making our school environment comfortable for everyone. Also, I think being very collaborative is important because it’s important to work with others.
TC: What makes you unique from the other candidates?
Dorn: One thing that makes me unique from other candidates is my ability to collaborate well with others and make connections easily. I’m also able to find compromises easily and solve problems.
Enfield: I would consider myself a very genuine person. I’m willing to listen to all of you and make sure that any concerns are taken care of. I really want to listen to you and make sure that all the fun activities that we do, really stand out to you.
Goblirsch: I think one thing that makes me unique is my creativity. I’m definitely an idea person, and I love to just think outside the box and be creative. So, I think that’s one thing that sets me apart and one thing that’s really important – an important quality for an ASB leader.
Kakala: One thing that makes me unique from the other candidates is that I play club and school basketball. So, I know how to manage my time because it’s a rare and demanding sport, all-year round of playing basketball, whether it’s in the summer, fall, spring or winter.
McCabe: Something unique about me is that I’ve been involved in leadership for pretty much my entire life, being on student council in fourth and fifth grade, being in leadership electives throughout middle school and being on class council for both my sophomore and junior year.
Raposo: Something that makes me very unique from the other candidates is that I’m very organized. I am always put together. Whenever someone has a question, I’m always able to answer it.
Shah: Something that makes me unique is that I love to try new things. When I was an underclassman, I tried out for Tiger TV, the tennis team, lacrosse and so many different things where I’ve learned so much about the school.
Weisman: I think something that makes me stand apart from other candidates is the immense amount of ideas that I’ll bring to the table and how much I love this school, which shows how much I want to see everyone succeed. I think another thing that makes me stand apart is my willingness to listen to new ideas.
TC: If you are elected, what will you bring to the team?
Dorn: If elected, I will bring lots of new ideas to the team and lots of spirit.
Enfield: If elected, I’m going to bring my listening and organization skills to the team because I think that, especially since there are six of us, it’s important to stay organized and keep our thoughts and ideas collected and be able to give you the best year possible.
Goblirsch: If I were to be elected to ASB, I think one thing I would bring to the team is that ability to be creative and come up with solutions to problems and to come up with different ideas and innovations.
Kakala: If I’m elected, I’m going to bring my leadership skills and my organization.
McCabe: Something that I can bring to student council with these leadership skills is the ability to work with pretty much anyone and collaborate with others very effectively.
Raposo: If I was elected, I would bring school spirit because I feel like that’s very, very important in having a great year and just having a great positive aspect on the school.
Shah: I’ve learned about all different kinds of groups of people and what they want, and I’d love to share that on ASB.
Weisman: If elected, I would like to show people that ASB is a way for us to build up students and to strengthen the NDB community by instilling confidence in others.
TC: What do you want students to take away from your speech?
Dorn: One thing I want students to take away from my speech is that I will be very dedicated and truly value having a position on ASB. I want students to feel like they’re always able to come to me with any concerns or problems that they have.
Enfield: If you were to take anything away from my speech, I want you to remember that I’m always here to listen for you. I really genuinely care about this school, and I want the best for all the students and for everyone to have a really fun year.
Goblirsch: One thing I hope people take away from my speech is that high school is really short and it’s important to make the most of your time. It’s worth it to put yourself out there and get involved in things and make sure that your ideas are voiced.
Kakala: One thing I want people to take away from my speech is that I’m a great leader, and I can listen to all people’s ideas whenever we’re planning events for ASB. I also want them to know that I can connect with students of all ages, from freshman to senior.
McCabe: After my speech, I would hope that students could understand more of my experience at Notre Dame and understand why I feel very passionate about our school and our community. I would also want students to feel that I, as a leader next year, would hope for everyone to feel confident pursuing any club, board, student council or any activity that they are hoping to be involved with and not feel intimidated or able to pursue any activity that they’re wanting to be involved with.
Raposo: What I want you to take away from my speech is that it’s always good to be positive and always good to have a great mindset on things, especially when challenges come. It’s always great to have a good mindset and to make sure to push through.
Shah: Something that I want students to take away from my speech is that I want them to wake up every day, excited to go to school. High school goes by really fast, and we all work super hard every day. So, it’s also important to have fun and enjoy things, like spirit weeks, rallies and Aquacades. On ASB, I would love to make sure that everybody feels included and everybody wants to have fun.
Weisman: I think a big takeaway from my speech will probably be showing students that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. When I was freshman, I was really nervous to be a senior and even run for ASB. But, I want students to know that, if you have goals, you should just try it and anything can happen.
Information and photos compiled by The Catalyst Staff
