Sophomore Ella Sochocki sits in her seat anxiously.  Another hour and a half of this meeting is ahead of her and important members of the community are in front of her. She doesn’t know why she is here, all she knows is that she was chosen to be. 

Once Sochocki graduated from the ACTS program, she was anonymously selected by one of her teachers to be a part of the Noblesville Schools Education Foundation. 

“The NSEF board is a group of parents, students, and teachers that hope to help the Noblesville School’s students and faculty members thrive,” Sochocki said. 

As a chosen student, Sochocki and her peers attend meetings about every 6 months to observe the conversations, discussing how to further improve the community. The board plans several fundraisers throughout the year that the students are able to contribute their opinions on when they think it is best to hold the events.

“We also got to work with other students from Hamilton Southeastern, learning teamwork and leadership,” Sochocki said, “[as well as] how to comfortably speak with adults in a professional setting.” 

Sochocki appreciates that she is able to provide a youthful perspective to the board during the decision making process. She has also noticed that she has learned and practiced important life skills. 

“Any job will require leadership and teamwork, so learning that as a teenager will definitely help me feel comfortable in many circumstances in the future,” Sochocki said.

Sochocki realizes that not many other students have the opportunity to be a part of such an important organization in her community. Sochocki believes the opportunity is giving her a head-start into her future as well as improving Nobleville. 

“I like knowing what is going on in my community,” Sochocki said, “and helping in any way possible as best as I can.”