President of HCF, AP and Honors student, school athlete, friend and son, Easton Rowell is the perfect example of what a leader should look like at Hudson High School. The expectations are high for most students at our school. Academic achievement as well as involvement is a clear shot at excellence. People like Easton, leaders of our school, always seem to have it going well and make it look easy. In acting like it’s easy, Easton says that the little moments and the competitiveness drives him to achieve greatness.
Easton explains that much of the reasoning behind him wanting to get involved was due to him being a new student. “I was born in Connecticut, moved to Georgia when I was four, then moved to Hudson when I was eight and stayed here until I was in the 6th grade. Then I moved to Charlotte for two years, and finally moved back to Hudson for High School.” In wanting to make new friends, he decided to get himself involved in extracurriculars. Becoming friends with people that have qualities similar to his became rewarding. “When I moved back, I knew I had friends from soccer, but I found that those that were involved were more forwarded people like me. My most valuable relationships were found with those like Emi Uijtewaal or Ben Fisher (graduates of ‘22).” In making friendships with people that encouraged and supported Easton, he knows now that it has shaped him to be the person he is today. Easton’s involvement in clubs, such as Hudson Community First, NHS (director of technology), Business Club, HUDDLE and the Leadership Conference Planning Committee, were all ways in which he found people like him. The commonality of encouragement through all the restlessness of what it feels like being involved is a huge motivator for most leaders. Through wanting to get involved by means of creating new friendships, the HCF president also found himself receiving more leadership qualities and recognition. In receiving more leadership skills and even bigger ideas to better our school, Easton decided to start a club that is very similar to what his experience has been like in getting involved.
“The Hudson Newcomers club is about new students. After you come to the high school as a new student, you get toured around by HUDDLE mentors during one of the first days of school. After that, you get let off to do your own thing. Most of these students are really shy. So, my goal through this club is to make these students more involved in the Hudson community through presentations about clubs around Hudson, as well as through helping encourage volunteering and involving yourself in sports.” In creating this club, Easton hopes to help new students feel more welcomed and with a little more guidance than what he experienced all the times he was a new student to a school. In a school like Hudson High school where involvement is now more expected than simply encouraged, the Hudson Newcomers Club is a perfect way to guide new students into not only feeling more included in the Hudson bubble, but also more excited about their new beginning at a school as diverse in involvement as Hudson High School.
Easton’s mentality in being involved has helped him reach greatness and achieve to become this year’s club president of Hudson Community First. HCF is the biggest club at Hudson High School. Involvement in the club varies from volunteer opportunities outside of the school, as well as inside of the school to planning of dances. Being involved for three years already as sophomore vice president and junior vice president, Easton worked his way to becoming one of the biggest leaders in our school and class and hopes to keep encouraging this type of achievement for others in the future. “Although I know it will be a lot of work, I am very excited to be this year’s class president and can’t wait to see what we accomplish this year.”
His favorite parts about being part of the HCF community is writing the meetings and providing different opportunities for others to volunteer as well as the little special moments. “I remember Corey Barnes brought his younger daughter, Gemma, to one of the chalk drawing events, and she was very fun to talk to. Or when we received letters of thank you back from the women who received funded scholarships at the school in Tanzania. Those are the moments I look most forward to.”
Apart from the little moments, Easton also shares that the yearly carnation sale event is his favorite. “I like the cause first. The donations we receive from selling carnations go to help fund the Orkeezwa school in Tanzania where we also help fund women’s scholarships. The event also allows for friends to remind each other how much they mean to one another and overall spreads a lot of positivity.” The Carnation sale is a yearly HCF event where students buy carnations along with a message that explains why they chose to send it to them. It’s definitely the most hyped up event for Hudson Community First, and everyone in the school from students to teachers and other staff, always get the word around and buy carnations for friends or use it to put a smile on someone’s face. Heading this event as well as working alongside one of the other most hyped up things at our school–Mr. Zustin– also makes the leadership position an experience of a lifetime for Easton.
“Working with Mr. Zustin is always a lot of fun. He always has a vision and keeps me very motivated. He’s a great teacher and I’m very lucky to get the chance to work with him.”
Easton has experienced a variety of challenges as well as fun experiences all due to his decision to get involved. He hopes to encourage more students at Hudson High School to get out of their comfort zones and meet new people through clubs, sports teams or even through classes that might be out of the average comfort zone. His last advice is to, “talk to your counselors and to those that are experienced. They’re here to help us for a reason, and they always push us to be better.”
