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Link Crew is a nationwide student-led organization that works to help “connect freshmen to our school community and each other.” It consists of juniors and seniors who serve the purpose of making the transition to the high school campus much easier. In a way, Link Crew leaders are the heroes you never thought you needed. I have taken it to our campus to ask some of our fellow Link Crew leaders to ask them why they have decided to become one, and what they enjoy about it.

My personal experience with Link Crew was great. I truly admired my Link Crew leader because she helped me guide my way through this new campus. I came from a different school district, so when I came to this campus, I knew absolutely nobody and was not prepared for it. However, when I got here, I made an instant connection with my leader, and from there a friendship grew. She always helped me when I had school problems, or when I just needed someone to talk to. This friendship with my leader and my group not only brought me my first real connections at this campus, but also gave me the confidence to make new friends and truly discover what this campus has to offer.

Link Crew leader Julissa Salmon also felt this way with her Link group because “they all made [her] feel special and [she] can tell that they felt the same way.” My story, as well as many others, is exactly what the goal for Link Crew is because it wants each and every freshman to never feel excluded or singled out. The leaders understand that it can be rough and intimidating to transition to a campus like AHS, and so their true job is to simply be a friend to everyone.

On top of aiding freshmen, the leaders also work with the school in whatever way they can be of service. They work with ASB and Senior Men and Women with any event they need help with, such as Back to School Night. Link Crew is a leadership program, and so with any event that requires leaders or people of service, you will be sure to find Link Crew there. Senior Link Crew leader Jordan Lam loves working with other campus groups because he then “feels connected and apart of something big.”

Link Crew is an exclusive program of students, so in order to become a leader, you need to go through an application and interview process. This program is not small, as they are planning to take 45 to 50 students. Students who do become Link Crew leaders do have to take a fifth-period class, so you can only imagine how dedicated they are to their cause. All in all, Link Crew is a group of quality students that work toward one big mission of helping this campus and its students.

Photos courtesy of LINK CREW