St. Luke's Prince Leads As President, Point Guard

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – St. Luke’s School senior Jackson Prince of New Canaan has always embraced being a leader.

He leads on the court as the point guard and captain of the New Canaan private school’s basketball team. But more important, he’s the face of the school’s students, serving as the student body president.

“I’ve grown fond of being in management and leadership positions,” said Prince, 17, “You get to be behind the scenes to make stuff happen. It’s like you’re the student representative and almost part of the administration.”

The load as leader is heavy for the senior. Since winning election as president last spring, Prince regularly meets with members of the school’s administration to discuss student concerns and runs the weekly student town meetings to hear from his classmates as well as to let them know about upcoming events. Prince previously worked as co-president of the student group China Care and traveled last year with the organization Next Generation Nepal to help the organization reconnect trafficked children with their families.

He also helps to plan campus events, including this weekend’s homecoming activities. ”It’s totally exceeded everything I thought it would be,” Prince said. “You don’t realize all the stuff (presidents) do.”

Prince sees value in the job. “You’re there between the students and administration, and you’re making sure there’s a good relationship,” he said.

Although Prince’s work as the students’ primary voice is challenging, it’s not daunting. “It’s a fun challenge. It’s hard, but it doesn’t deter me,” he said.

The basketball captaincy and student presidency have their similarities, As for which role is tougher? “It’s probably more challenging to be student body president because there are 250 more people involved.”

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