Club Presidents: Paving Paths to Success and Shaping Their Future

Club presidents share how their passions relate to them and their future.

By Isabel Barycki

The hobbies and passions we have are another way to uniquely express ourselves. Have something you’re passionate about? Why not create, or join, a club about it? That’s exactly what many of Redwoods club presidents have done. Redwood offers a variety of unique clubs for all rangers to choose from that will help towards their future. 

Jacob Hutchison ’24, is currently serving as a Co-President of Redwood’s Mock Trial team. This is his second year as an attorney on the silver team. 

Mock Trial is a hyper-realistic club where members rehearse and execute a mock trial in a real courtroom. This year, Redwood’s case is a homicide and it is Redwood’s responsibility to examine a 100-page case packet and create arguments for the season. Hutchison loves the intensity of Mock Trial. He says, “Overall, it is a very intense competition with a lot of moving parts.”

Hutchison joined Mock Trial to, “get more involved in the world of law.” Hutchison says he “loves learning about legal proceedings.” Through Mock Trial, he has also made some great friends along the way.

Mock Trial has significantly helped Hutchison build his public speaking skills, which he says “are useful in almost all situations.” Through Mock Trial, Hutchison prepares himself for his future as an attorney and any other endeavors he pursues.

Through the TV show Suits, Hutchison found he wanted to get involved in law. Through Hutchison’s favorite character in Suits, Mike Ross, he was inspired to join Mock Trial and hopefully become a lawyer. 

Inside and outside of school, Hutchison is involved in a variety of activities that will benefit him in the future. On the legal side, he has worked 100-hour internships at the Public Defender’s office and Pendergast Law Firm. He is currently a student in the Pathway to Law School at COS and is currently enrolled to earn an AA in pre-law. In addition, he is currently employed at the law firm of Williams, Brodersen, Pritchett, and Ruiz LLP. Outside of law, he is involved in FBLA and NHS, holding leadership positions in both. Through COS courses and AP classes, Hutchison is also ranked #1 GPA at Redwood. 

Brooklyn Anderson ’26 is Key Club’s president and has been involved for two years.

Key Club is an international service and leadership club, with most services being in Redwood and Visalia. Anderson says, “I’ve always been very passionate about service.” Towards her future, Anderson says, “It helps me become a better person and focus on what matters most to me and others.” 

Anderson says, “I want to do community service because it makes me feel so good after I’m done with it, and it makes a big impact even when it is hard to see.”  

Anderson encourages anyone who wants to “help people and make their day better and help them feel loved…” to join Key Club as it may “be a good fit for you.”

FFA, Future Farmers of America, is a club as well as classes that offer students a variety of opportunities. Marileigh Coon ’25, FFA’s club president says, “The organization strives to teach high school students about the agricultural industry in hopes they will continue to help with it after they graduate.” Members of FFA can choose pathways towards ag mechanics or a new pathway towards floral/horticulture where students learn about soil, plants, and animals. FFA also offers several public speaking opportunities as well as the opportunity to raise livestock to show at the Tulare County Fair. 

Since growing up around FFA, Coon says, “I couldn’t wait until the day I was finally in high school and could become an official member myself.” Inspired by her father, Mr. Coon, Coon says, “My dad taught me valuable lessons and how to get things done slowly and steadily.” She says, “Seeing all his students grow through what he teaches them moved me to want to serve our chapter the way he does.” 

Outside of FFA, Coon is involved in CSF and Redwood dance force. Coon says, “I love doing the things I do on campus because I get to do the things I love with the people I love.”

Sadie Hemphill ’25, is FFA’s vice president and has been involved since her freshman year.

Hemphill says, “I joined this club because I wanted to try something new and was very interested in all it had to offer.” While not everyone who joins FFA ends up with a job in agriculture, Hemphill expresses that FFA is still helpful for all careers. While deciding on what she wants to do in the future, Hemphill says, “My public speaking experience from FFA as well as responsibility and work ethic developed from raising livestock will be extremely useful for whatever I do in the future.” 

Eli Siegel, ’23 is Creative Design Club’s club president. Siegel has been involved since his sophomore year, second semester. 

Through this club, members can learn a specific topic about creative design where they are then challenged to incorporate their teachings in their designs.

Siegel doesn’t expect himself to pursue design in the future, however, he says, “It always makes me appreciate art beyond what most people think of art.” He says, “It will probably help me think of more creative solutions in the future rather than what’s right or wrong.”

In the future, Siegel looks toward becoming a linguistics major or possibly becoming a music minor. With creative design, Siegel says, “I hope that starting creative design will help me take initiative in thinking about my future.” 

Outside of the creative design club, Siegel participates in the choir. He says, “If I want to be a music minor, choir definitely helps, and that is a lot of fun.”

Riley Yagle ‘24, is the president and founder of the astronomy club. 

Just this year the astronomy club was founded by Riley Yagle. The astronomy club consists of doing research on different constellations and the Greek myths behind them. The club also plans on doing stargazing at night. Yagle says, “I thought this would be a good way to leave Redwood, to leave a lasting impact with different clubs.” 

Last year through Scicon Yagle was able to find her passion for astronomy. Through reading different kinds of books on Greek myths Yagle has been able to continue to pursue her passion for the stars. 

After high school, Yagle plans on going to college either out of state or in California and pursuing a master’s in astronomy to become an astrophysicist. 

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