Cascade’s Scott Pease works at being a natural leader
Published 3:14 pm Thursday, June 9, 2016
EVERETT — Scott Pease comes across as a natural leader. But he’s the first person to say that it doesn’t come easy.
Pease, 18, is president of Cascade High School’s Associated Student Body and one of two student representatives to the Everett School Board.
He recognizes that being a good leader means serving others.
Being appointed to the school board was a case in point: He said he truly had no idea what he was getting into.
“It was a sobering moment (to realize), ‘Oh my gosh, I’m stepping into this role representing 19,800 students,’” Pease said.
While on the board, he provided input on a variety of issues of concern to students, such as a college and career writing seminar, personal finance education and how district money from a recently passed levy should be spent on classroom technology.
Part of that involved him and Aymee Carrillo, the other student representative to the board, spearheading a student technology summit to inform the board’s discussion.
“We probably know more about it than they do, so they probably valued the student voice,” Pease said.
He said that Superintendent Gary Cohn has been an inspiration for how to present himself. He also looks up to ASB adviser Kelly Rogers and the ASB and student activities secretary Darcie Cooper.
Pease has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout school. He credits his older brother Spencer Pease, who’s majoring in computer science at the University of Washington.
“Ever since the sixth grade he’s had a 4.0, and I’m very competitive,” Pease said. “I wanted to follow in his footsteps and compete.”
He was goalie for the school’s varsity soccer team, helping take the Bruins to the playoffs.
Pease also found himself in his final year of high school developing a better sense of who he is and how that changes his perspective.
“I personally struggled with coming out as gay,” he said.
He’s been selective in who he’s come out to and when — some of his teammates didn’t even know, he said — but the bigger challenge came from how his own self-awareness influenced him as a leader in the school, as other students struggling with or discovering their sexuality look to him for advice or support.
“Helping out other people when I’ve only been out for a year, that’s been a personal struggle as well,” he said.
He used this process as part of his student essay in his application to Pomona College in California, where he intends to study law in the fall.
Lately he’s provided input to the board on drafting a policy on transgender students and anti-harassment issues based on his own experience in coming out.
“It’s not a one-step process, it’s something that goes on,” Pease said. “It makes me appreciate the groundwork the people before me laid.”
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
