Get to Know the Student Council Presidential Candidates

As the student council elections approach, I want to give you a light hearted insight into the lives of candidates for student council president. I aimed to stray away from questions relating to promises in office and thoughts on advances throughout the school; rather, I focused on allowing the students to truly get to know Patrick Heffernan and Carlo Lutero as they battle for office.

What is your favorite class you have taken at OP? Favorite teacher?

Patrick Heffernan: My favorite teacher is Mr. Kallenberg. My favorite class was Latin with Mr. Fava, although Freshman World History with Mr. McCrystal is a close second.

Carlo Lutero: My favorite class so far has been AP Environmental Science with Mrs. Pasnik. My favorite teacher so far is probably Mr. Gordon.

What do you usually do after school?

Patrick Heffernan: Swim, swim, and swim some more. It’s a constant cycle of swimming, dryland, homework (including Student Council & NJS stuff), and sleep.

Carlo Lutero: After school, I go to the gym, home to do homework, soccer practice once or twice a week, but most importantly, eat dinner and sleep.

What is your proudest achievement on student council?

Patrick Heffernan: My proudest achievement is starting the teacher taping fundraiser. Here, we had Mr. Gordon, Mr. Maybe, and Mr. Barresi taped to a wall and hit them with dodgeballs!This was great because we raised tons of money for charity in a fun and engaging way.

Carlo Lutero: My proudest achievement on Student Council is helping initiate the finals week snacks and giveaways. I am a firm believer in the Student Council’s relationship with the Student Body, and I believe that we should work to appease the needs and desires of the students.

What is your dream job?

Patrick Heffernan: For college, I want to do something related to business. I think it is fascinating that you can allocate assets to buy a company (Private Equity).

Carlo Lutero: My dream job is owning a high-end, molecular gastronomy chain-restaurant. As my top two interest in life are business and food, this is most fitting as my dream job.

What is your spirit animal?

Patrick Heffernan: Dolphin!

Carlo Lutero: Patrick Tobin’s Dog Archie

When was one time you encountered a struggle but was able to persevere?

Patrick Heffernan: In swimming, I missed the JO cut in the mile by less than a second. The following year, I worked harder than I ever have, and I was able to make the cut handily. This taught me the value of putting in the extra work.  

Carlo Lutero: After my freshman year, I was unable to remain in a couple of my honors classes. However, in my sophomore year, I was able to attain high enough grades to make it into various AP classes in my Junior year. In this, I learned that not only is hard work a valuable trait, but that true effort and perseverance is not and should not go unnoticed. I hope to promote this idea in the upcoming year, as I see there are many talented and unique students at Oratory whose accomplishments do not receive the recognition they deserve.

What will your legacy at OP be?

Patrick Heffernan: My goal is for everyone to have the best experience at OP as they can. My hope is that people can look back and say that next year was a fun year. Also, I want to boost school spirit, so everyone will be proud to be a member of the school community.

Carlo Lutero: I hope my legacy at OP will be not only the great experiences I have worked and will continue to work to create but of my personality as well. I hope to be remembered as someone who was easy to talk to, listened to the needs of others, and one you could always have a laugh with.

Do you have a campaign slogan?

Patrick Heffernan: Vote “The Heff”. I just made that up right now… very creative, right?

Carlo Lutero: “For a better tomorrow, vote for Carlo.”
Good luck to both candidates in the upcoming election. Hopefully, this will give you some insight into the lives of these two candidates. Remember that there is no wrong choice between these two!