Get to Know Our President (Full Interview)

An Interview with Lucas Pham

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Lucas Pham at the LINKS Orientation Assembly Tech Rehearsal (Photo: Sally Shen/SAC)

In this special interview brought to you by Carpanatomy, we get a glimpse into the life of this year's effervescent SAC president, Lucas Pham, in our most raw interview yet. Lucas teases what we can expect this term from SAC and provides guidance for young Haigers through sharing his previous experiences as a Haig student. Read below for the full interview.

[The Cold Open]

Lucas Pham drops into the Google Meet link at exactly 2:00 PM, awaiting instructions for his interview. As my Co-Editor-in-Chief, Isabella Di Cola, joins the call opening her rectangular boxed webcam, eyes are brought to the president's camera as he extends a smile in his grey t-shirt. "How has your summer been?" he asks. We all chat, and the interview commences.

What can we expect from this year's SAC, and what are your goals and plans for the school year?

One thing that I want our SAC to be is adaptable and supportive. Throughout my past year as your Vice President, I've come to learn that sometimes it's not even about your plan, it's just about but your ability to adapt to a situation and to work under the pressure, because a lot of the projects that we'll be having to deal with will be things that we didn't have to plan for. So I'm trying to get my council to engage in more self-trust and not having to plan every single detail. That is something that we're trying to gain as a council, as well as being a supportive council that represents the student body.

One of our plans for the school year is our primary focus on mental health. So every year we do a Carnival Day — this year, we are projecting to partner with this organization called Stella's Place. It's an organization from downtown Toronto, who which was started by a Canadian. They provide support services for people who are 16 to 29, which is right in the age group of Earl Haig. We just wanted to destigmatize, but also create events that aren't really what people think about mental health and educate people about things that we've learned throughout the summer.

One thing that I learned about in the summer is the importance of even the infrastructure of a place and how that affects mental health. Visiting Stella's Place, they have all these things, just in the way that the building is built, I learned about how we can support mental health, through building a more inclusive space physically.

I really want to have more of a connect between seniors and juniors. So, I'm going to speak with Emily this week, and we're going to be talking about some stuff that club presidents can do in accordance with grade nines.

Another thing we're doing is club support. We're trying to make it easier for people to start clubs by being able to access money that we can raise at the beginning of the year, and also being able make it easier to access available staff supervisors, because there's so many changes to teachers and it's difficult for people to catch up. Other than that, there's also my idea of supporting seniors and how we can make the transition to post-secondary more feasible.

These are just things that we have projected. Of course, we're doing this in addition to everything that we pledged to do this year. In summary, the main plans that we have are supporting mental health, supporting clubs, connecting seniors and juniors, and supporting seniors in their post-secondary goals, but in all just becoming a more supportive and adaptable council. Can you explain the structure of SAC for new Haigers?

SAC is a collection of 17 elected and appointed leadership positions at our school. We have many different positions. There are the representative positions that represent big SAC family councils at our school. So Eco [Council], School Spirit (S.O.P.S.S.), Arts [Council] — think of all these big pillars at our school. There are people that are the face of each of these councils that report to SAC and serve as a representative of those specific sectors at our school.

Then, there are other people who are more administrative within SAC — think about Media Masters, the Vice President, and a little bit of the Community Representative and the Student Advocate. Those people are mainly administrative in order for SAC to function as its own singularity and help us to run events and control SAC as a whole.

So if I were to split it up into different ones, there's definitely the representative groups which represent big sectors at our school, and then there's the more administrative things that are more focused on supporting everybody in the council. 

On the topic of SAC positions, when can we expect the application for Junior Media Master on SAC?

We are projecting to get our post out first or second day of school, and you can expect applications to be due the following week and the position being appointed the following week after that. 

What is something you wish you could have known in grade nine? 

I think for me, one thing that I should have known about just Earl Haig and generally in working is that it's a necessity to kind of fail. I think I came into it with an idea of trying to make everything perfect, but going through my years — working as a Vice President, working with clubs — you have to be able to embrace when something doesn't go right, because that's genuinely how you learn. Not only about skills, but actually about things that you might like. I thought that maybe I'd be more eco-inclined, but maybe my less success there branched out to let me know, maybe this is not something I want to do.

So for incoming grade nines, I want you to know that it's a sandbox. That's how I would describe it — that you really should take the time to embrace failure. I just try to think about it as every no or every failure, you're one step closer to finding something that's truly for you. So that's what I tried to learn. 

What advice do you have for new Haigers?

Yeah, so other than trying to put yourself out there, I advise you to try to put yourself in uncomfortable situations and spark failure. Find something that makes you super happy. That's so cliché, but school and the world can be so daunting. I think having something to look forward to is truly something that can make it a whole ten times better — you'll be able to meet so many fabulous people who are able to share that same interest. So other than putting yourself out there and finding ways to challenge yourself, I would say find something that truly makes you happy.

You mention that Haigers should find something that makes them happy. What have you found that makes you happy?

I love being on SAC. I think that's something that has really opened the doorway for me to meet so many fabulous and incredibly driven people — it's taught me so much about myself. 

Another thing that I really enjoyed that I would never have known without Earl Haig is ultimate frisbee. I found it in grade nine, and I thought it was a dog sport. I've been able to find a love for it because of the community, and now I play at a national level. That’s an example of something that I found at Haig and really turned into something that I want to do for the rest of my life.

In your opinion, what is the best way to get involved at Earl Haig? 

Well, obviously, I think joining any SAC family council is a great way to get involved in Earl Haig because once you join one thing, it's kind of a domino effect, and it's able to connect you with a network of people.

Another thing that's not talked about enough is the process of starting your own club. Obviously, we live in a time where there are resume padders that just start clubs out of nothing, but I think that if you come into Haig with an idea or a driven idea to make a community, there are so many things that you learn. You learn so much about event planning, and you're able to meet so many of the administrative people at our school. 

For example, I came into grade nine wanting to start a K-pop dance club — I don't know what that was. But I think through that experience, I was able to get involved with so many people — I was able to meet Ms. Tara from the dance department, I've been able to speak with the vice principals, I've been able to meet teachers to be staff supervisors, I've been able to speak with Stage Crew and SOPSS — and I think that if you're able to find something that hasn't been done yet at our school, it's so much easier for you to connect with so many of the parts to make our school special. So starting your own club is a great idea to get involved.

For those who aren’t as confident and outgoing as other Haigers, how can they still find a way to be involved in the Haig community?

That is a very good conversation, and I think that's something that we're still trying to figure out. I think for me, being involved in the school is multifaceted. It can mean many things. Even just finding a really good friend. I think there's something that we overlook that is the beauty of being in a space that fosters friendship. Even being able to meet someone and just spark a conversation in the hallway — it's those actions that build the environment of a great school.

So it doesn't have to be going above and beyond. It doesn't have to be going to start your own club. It could even be just saying 'hi' to a random person in the hallway. I think that small step goes a really long way.

What is something you struggled with as a Haig student, and how did you manage to overcome it?

A lot of struggles. I think my main struggle was an impostor syndrome. I think many people know that Earl Haig is a school of overachievers — like hyperachievers. Especially coming in as an art major — they're hyperachieving but also really excel in the arts. It's very easy for you to get caught up in the idea: Do I belong? Am I even supposed to be here? And you can feel kind of discouraged. 

I don't even know how I overcame it — it's still an ongoing battle for me. I think being able to turn it into something that you can appreciate and being able to understand that they're at Day 100 and you're at Day — but there's something to admire about them being at Day 100. Being surrounded by so many people who are on such far journeys in their lives pushes you to be a better person and to work harder. So my way of overcoming it is seeing these people as one, being happy and seeing other people's successes, and two, understanding that you do belong — that you're here for a reason and that every single day you take is just another representation that you belong and that there is a place for you. What is your favourite Haig memory?

Oh my goodness, my favourite Haig memory. Well, there's so many. I think I'll give a couple. My first Haig memory is actually a collection of memories, but I loved Autism Awareness Month. Not only was it such a great campaign for us, but I thought it was a great opportunity for me to get closer with a lot of my SAC members. They're not here anymore (Anna, Jocelyn, and Michelle), but I was able to bond so much with them over that week because we were just hacking our brains every day: “How can we do this?”

But the specific memory I remember is being at the Zoom International Film Festival with Jocelyn. I don't know why I loved it so much. I had so much fun seeing such great films, so much fun talking with people, and just spending time with Jocelyn was something that I couldn't even fathom, you know. So definitely a lot of little moments, rather than big moments, were things that resonated with me.

Another memory I had this year was winning the North Region title with the Frisbee team. I think it was something that we've been working hard towards, and it was such a fabulous experience seeing everybody smile and getting that point at the end. What school events are you looking forward to this year?

I'm looking forward to Sera Bianca if they do it this year. I think that was such an amazing experience on the artist's end, and I'm so excited to see it on the other end. I loved the Zoom International Film Festival, so I'm excited to see that. I'm also excited for The Crucible. In my past years at Haig, it's always been a musical, so I'm so excited to see a play — I've loved every single show. I'm also excited for the Grade 12 Visual Arts Graduate Exhibit because I'll be a part of that, and it'll be such a great experience. I'm excited for everything, everything! It'll be a great year. What events does SAC host? Which are your favourites? Are there any new ones we should look out for?

I think of SAC as a machine, you know, like a big collective. I think that events are just one sector of it. We have so many different councils. So expect seeing the normal — you know, the assemblies, the events that each council runs, the pep rallies, the shows, and Carnival Day, Carpe Day — and even another one that we can expect in the second half of the semester.

I would say that in all, we try to run events that make student life at Haig the best possible. This is so broad because we run so many events throughout the year... I'm going to say that my favourite event is definitely Carnival Day. It's so hard to wrap my head around the weeks coming up before, but I think that it's so rewarding — seeing everybody work together is just such a beautiful experience.

New events we can look out for is a more fleshed-out Outreach Month, so having more events that pertain to mental health. Maybe seeing some Stella's Place come in, maybe some dog therapy — I don’t know, just putting it out there.

I would also like you to look out for more ecological initiatives happening in the second half of the semester. And I have always wanted to do lip sync battles with the teachers. So look out for that. But those are so specific in the grand scheme of our master plan, which I cannot share as of this moment.

How do you manage your time and balance school with extracurriculars?

I would be lying if I said that I had a calendar, because I genuinely don't. But what I like to do is sector my mind into priorities. I like to first think about the work that I have to get done, and I try to keep it transactional. So for every few tasks I get done, for me, I need to reward myself by doing some things that make me happy. I follow the Pomodoro method a lot, twenty-five minutes studying, five minutes rest. I kind of apply that throughout my life. So if I'm ever working on a project and I'm working the entire day on it, I'm trying to stop working and set aside some time for things that make me happy. Things like playing ultimate or hanging out with friends.

I think that it not only makes me feel better,  but it also benefits my workload. I'm able to actually enjoy my work, and I'm able to put more time and energy into the work that I do. I’m able to not relinquish the things that make me happy. So definitely being able to think of it as transactional and think of it like it's your fuel to get you through your work. If someone has an idea, how can they propose it to SAC or to the school?

That is a fabulous question. One, the SAC door is always open. SAC isn't supposed to be scary. We're regular students just like you. So approaching us in the hallways, sending us an email, DMing us on Instagram — those are some ways that you can propose it to us.

It really depends on what you're trying to get towards. If it's something more club related, something more ecological related, there's different members on the council that you can propose to. I'm trying to get something going with some sort of student feedback, so please be sure to expect that within the year, maybe bimonthly, giving us a way to assess how we've been doing and gauge what the school thinks of SAC. Be sure to look out for that on the announcements.

How can people reach out to you or SAC for advice or help?

So as I said, I wanted to do something that was more SAC-feedback-focused by creating some sort of anonymous Google form. It could be feedback on SAC-related events, what we could be doing more, or even if you just need support or need somebody to speak with. We want it to go through us before it goes through something else because I think that speaking with your peers can be more grounding and more appropriate. But again, my Instagram, @lukiephamm — my DMs are always open. I'm always welcome to hearing your feedback. Even just speaking with you as a friend. I'm always happy to make new friends. You can reach SAC through our email, earlhaigsac@gmail.com, through our DMs @earlhaigsac, through the anonymous form that we will be posting, or through DMing me or anybody else on the council.