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Palmer Trinity School senior Maria Munilla is the school’s executive president.
“At Palmer we have different student government associations for each grade and one executive government that oversees the school,” she says. “I am the President of the Executive Government.”
The executive board oversees school events such as homecoming.
“One of my tasks as the executive president is to address any issues the students have with the administration,” she says.
An example of one of the issues that was addressed with the administration was the way exams were taken when students got back to in-person school.
“Last (school) year the teachers were more lenient,” she says. “This year, we are going at a much quicker pace.”
She worked with the administration for better class pacing and to make sure that students could go to their teachers and ask for help.
“The administrator said he wasn’t comfortable telling the teachers how to teach, but he would remind them to be understanding,” she says. “I haven’t received any more complaints. I believe there has been a change.”
Another issue she addressed has to do with the Advanced Placement exams. During the 2020-2021 school year, students were being asked to go in person to take the exams.
“Students felt that was unfair,” she says. “Students had different levels of comfort with COVID.”
Compromises were reached between the students and the administration.
Munilla is president of the Society of Women Engineers, for the second year.
“The purpose of this club is to support women in STEM,” she says. “In the club I organize events and bring in speakers. Our club is open to both females and males.”
An organization such as the Society of Women Engineers is important because women are often undermined in the industry, she says.
She planned a conference earlier this school year where they brought in a number of female engineers. They covered what it’s like to be a woman in a STEM field and their journey to being successful in the field.
She’s interested in engineering because her family works in construction.
“My dad is a civil engineer,” she says.
However, engineering is her second choice for a career.
“I’d like to go into the pre-veterinary track,” she says. “All my life, I’ve been enamored by animals. I have a strong attachment to our pets. They provide so much happiness in our lives.”
She’s a member of a school club that deals with helping animals.
Her aunt is a board member of the Humane Society. Munilla volunteers there as often as possible. She also volunteered at her local vet’s office.
If she does go into engineering, she’d pursue civil engineering.
Her concern for the world led her to be a part of the Environmental Action Club at school. She’s also a Certified Climate speaker for CLEO.
“They give us a course in which they present a PowerPoint to us and teach us how to share it with others. They also teach us about climate change and current global issues.”
So far, Munilla has been accepted by Florida International University, Texas A&M University, Northeastern University, Florida State and the University of California-Davis. She’ll decide where to attend once all the acceptances have come in. Her major is biology.
Outside school, she’s a board member of The Kids United Foundation.
“We’re doing what we can to help with the humanitarian issues around the globe,” she says. “This is a student led organization.”
The organization is sponsored by First Baptist Church, Circle Youth Ranch and Westwood Christian School. Munilla has been a member for two years.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
