Madame President: Anna Kitts' Life as Leader of the Student Body

You may know Anna Kitts from her town hall announcements or her performances in the theater. Or maybe you just recognize her as the girl with the curly hair who you have to watch videos of in your advisory sometimes. But few people truly understand the role of our student body president or comprehend what it’s like to be the link between students and faculty. I spoke with Anna to find out. A transcript of our conversation is below, with remarks edited for clarity.

What inspired you to run for president? 

“I first ran for Student Association in 11th grade, and when I got home that day, my dad said, ‘Next stop: president!’ which sort of planted the idea in my head. I talked to last year’s president, Caroline Sirk, and she really inspired me to run because she obviously loved it. I especially remember her saying how she felt like she was being productive in a way that meant something to her and felt brave, and that’s what really inspired me to run.”

How would you describe the role of Student Association? Has it changed in recent years?

“It definitely has changed this year because in the past it was very structured around the events, and this year that obviously isn’t possible. It's a struggle to redefine what we are with the pandemic, but our main goal for now is to keep the structure of Student Association in place so that we can keep traditions alive even during the pandemic. For example, we decided to do the drive-in this year because we want to keep the community alive, but realistically it will probably be our first and only event of the year.” 

What parts of your plan have changed since the start of the year, due to the pandemic or other realizations?

“At the beginning of the year, I was having a hard time figuring out what Student Association would really be doing this year. I was comparing myself to Caroline Sirk a lot, but something that helped me get over that idea was when someone mentioned that the presidents before me had all been given a pre-established system. This year, I had to create a new structure for student association from a basket of sticks. For example, town hall has changed so much this year. In the past, it’s been a community-building event, but now we have to keep it strictly to announcements.”

Is there anything you wish was different about the way people perceive Student Association?

“That’s a hard question.I think people believe we only plan dances. That is part of our role, but it’s not the only thing we do. It’s sort of like the Santa Claus effect. You just have to believe we’re doing things even if you can’t see it. This year, our only opportunity to be in front of the student body is town hall, which puts a lot of pressure on us because that’s kind of our only chance to prove that we’re doing something even though we’re working on many different projects.”

What’s your day-to-day schedule like as the president?

Well, I meet with Ms. McCrary once a week on Monday or Tuesday, and we plan out what our goals are for the next week or so. Then, on Wednesday, I lead the full Student Association meeting. I answer people’s questions, which I love because it makes me feel like Doyle from Gilmore Girls when he’s in the newsroom.”

What’s the legacy you hope to leave at Galloway?

“I wrote a college application on this! I’d say one thing I hope for is that future candidates will look back on my presidency and want to use my leadership style or my ideas. I don’t know if the next president will want to do Screen on the Green again, but I hope that they’ll look back on me as a good president.”

By Anna Little