Photo Courtesy: UCSA

Class Representatives, as the name suggests, represent their class. Each class has a CR who acts as a communication bridge between the school administration and the students. I was appointed as the class representative of my class for this semester (First Semester, Class of 2020). When I was a kid, I was the kind of student who would hide behind other students and glue my arms to the chair when a teacher used to ask the class, “Who wants to be a class representative?” Naturally, I was terrified when I learned that I was appointed the CR of my class. But, after two months, I am getting used to everything that comes with being a CR. A CR has to invest more time than other students in attending weekly meetings with the admins, maintaining attendance records of students and classes, and managing the stationery items. Like most things in life, being a CR has both pros and cons. One of the many positive aspects of being a CR must simply be the experience and its positive impact on personal life. Kushal Bista '19, says, “Being a CR made me more responsible, punctual, and friendlier. I learned to handle pressure and manage time.” (CR of Class of 2019, Third Semester). Taking responsibility is another thing that is part of being a CR, as he/she represents the whole class. Whether the entire class has not submitted its assignment or the students are not following college protocol, a CR is at least partly responsible in most cases. Being a CR is basically being responsible for the class. As a CR, I learned to be more interactive and it has helped me to improve my social skills. I learned to be easily approachable by my colleagues so that I can address their problems to the admin, which can’t be solved among us. One of the challenging thing about being a class representative is managing time. With the hectic college schedule, the added pressure of being a CR can be daunting. Sameer Koirala '16, who has been a CR for four times says, “The worst part of being a CR is that you will get less personal time.” Organizing my schedule in order to fit all my tasks and responsibilities and also doing my assignments is a huge struggle. It’s something that requires constant effort and practice. Kushal Bista says, “I keep forgetting things so I simply jot down every important stuff.” I find myself doing the same thing most of the time. Along with that I prioritize my tasks and work accordingly which helps me manage my time.

“Being a CR will help in learning about leadership which will be beneficial when you need to be a leader in the future.” - Sameer Koirala '16

In my opinion, the positive aspects of being a CR far outweighs its drawbacks. Even though having to work under pressure might seem like a tedious task, it is a great opportunity to practice and hone time management skills. Along with that being responsible and interactive helps in learning about leadership. Ultimately being a class representative is a very enriching and an interesting experience.