JaeHa (Justin) Kim (’26), president of the class of 2026, has a lot of work to get done. Some of his responsibilities include planning fundraisers, increasing school spirit, and—most daunting of all—coordinating the Olympics. All of this must be done while juggling his schoolwork and his social life. Despite all of this, he has two things that can help propel him into a great term: ambition and vision.

Kim’s ambitions for a leadership role in student government came during his freshman year, when he ran for class president. He lost that year, but was ultimately able to win the position for his sophomore year. “I believed that I had strengths in communicating with others,” Kim said. “Thus, I believed that the president position could help me utilize my skills to ultimately benefit the school.” This desire to make use of his skill was what led him to believe that he could secure the role of president to help make the school a better place.

Now that Kim is class president, he has goals that he wants to accomplish to make the school a more inviting place and also to help secure his position for next year’s election as well. He believes that the student body as a whole, not just the Class of ’26, is lacking much needed school spirit. He has brainstormed multiple ways to help raise this with different events including sports tournaments and movie nights. Another important part of student life that he wishes to improve is the unity within the class, as he believes that this could help the relationships and in-school experiences for students. Kim also believes that, hopefully, as a byproduct of his goals, morale for the Tenafly High School Olympics will be raised. 

It has only been a little over a month since Kim assumed his position. As of now, he has been able to do a few things, namely two bake sales. However, due to the short time in position, his overall performance remains to be seen. “So far, it’s only the beginning few weeks of taking this role, so I can’t really entirely assess myself on my position,” Kim said. “However, it’s been very exciting to connect with the other three class officers and plan events, and it makes me ecstatic to think about the events that are approaching.” 

In his free time, Kim likes to listen to indie music and read. Sometimes, when he has time, he will also go on a run or play soccer with his friends. 

As of now, we will have to wait to see how Kim does during his tenure. However, the future looks promising.