[dropcap]A[/dropcap] possible future leader and aspiring filmmaker from Hays County recently returned to the U.S. after serving as President of the Senate during a mock legislative session in Panama.
Hays High School student Isabella Sada says her time as President of the Senate in a foreign country was a challenging yet rewarding experience.
“I feel honored being able to know that people trust your intentions along with your goals,” said Sada. “It was a big responsibility, but it was an experience and more than anything a challenge.”
The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session is the second in a three-part series of summer programs created by the National Hispanic Institute for students with the potential to become leaders in the U.S. and Latino communities. The focus of the program is to help students like Sada receive a higher education while focusing on principled leadership in the Latino community.
Sada was one of approximately 125 students from Columbia, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the United States who were selected to participate in the event.
“Success isn’t based on grades or the number of awards you’ve received but the many times you’ve turned ideas into reality and using your assets to get to them and the people who follow them,” Sada said. “My success was because of those people and their will to trust in my along with my actions.”
Sada attributes part of her success to her method of taking stress and challenges head on when things get difficult.
“I deal with stress by getting whatever I am stressed about done,” said Sada. “If I am stressed about a homework or a test then I study really hard.”
After high school, Sada plans to direct her talent and dedication toward making films.
“I hope to take it to another level and soon become a director or script writer,” Sada said. “I hope to take that career and truly give people good films that allow them to admire the work.”
Sada cited her grandfather as her personal hero, noting that his kindess and willingness to put family first as important qualities she wishes to emulate.
“A good leader is not the person who can speak the best or have life solved all the time,” Sada said. “A good leader is someone who can bring people together for a certain goal.”
