By the end of the day today, whether we like it or not, a new president shall be elected. It’s scary stuff. Certainly for us, the voters, but can you imagine how whoever is elected will feel? They were just elected president of a country that allowed a 15-year-old referring to himself as “Deez Nuts” to be considered for the ballot.

I know I for one would feel terrified to be leading that group of people. I would want to spend the coming weeks before the inauguration reading and studying up on how to fix this mess. Luckily for the winner, like their competition, Mr. Nuts, I too was a high school politician. Using my experience as student council president I have come up with some advice that I wish someone had told me before I started my presidency:

1. Know who you are representing. It is so important to know everyone from the coolest, most checked-out senior to the perkiest, most bright-eyed freshman. These are your constituents. Their needs are your needs. If someone comes up to you and says they think the concession stand at the football games could use a menu with options suited to more people’s needs, it is your job to make sure they are serving both hamburgers and hot dogs.
2. Diversity is key. Getting ideas and feedback from the kids who liked gym class, the kids who didn’t like the SAT, the kids whose parents didn’t work in the school system all were vital to making sure I had access to a well-rounded, diverse array of opinions outside of my own experiences. I’m talking the very white privileged definition of diverse, though — more of a diversity of “ideas.” My high school was more than 90 percent white and very upper-middle class. We had a great lacrosse team. I don’t need to tell either of you candidates that, though — look at your party tickets, look at our entire legislative governing body. #SenateSoWhite
3. Be careful what email account you send things from. I almost sent emails to the principal from radiodisneyfan@comcast.net once. How embarrassing would that have been?
4. People really only care about senior trip and prom. This is something that was really hard for me to accept. I just had so many great ideas for change. But at the end of the day, the people want what the people want. So honestly, no matter how good you think your policies on women’s rights, Palestine, racial injustices, immigration, the war on terror, the economy, or gun control are — just remember to instead focus on the senior trip and prom.
5. There’s a lot less kissing babies than I thought there would be. But you do get your name on a plaque, a parking spot in the faculty parking lot and sometimes you get to say the Pledge of Allegiance on the morning announcements.

I won’t lie to you, being president can be incredibly draining. There are long days and most of them make you feel like you are making no difference at all. But, at the end of the all of those days, you have to remember what drew you to the position in the first place: the desire to make the world a better place and an insatiable thirst for power.

Patty Terhune is a senior policy studies and television, radio and film dual major. She ran for StuCo president so she could do the morning announcements because as a writer she obviously believes the world needs to hear her voice. Follow her on Twitter @pattyterhune or reach her at paterhun@syr.edu.