Student Council’s IASC Meeting: Do Not Walk in Heels at Springfield

Some people may have been fretting over their math tests on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, but not Student Council President EmmaLi Isham and the executive board who went on trip to Springfield! 

The Illinois Association of Student Councils (IASC) is an organization that provides leadership training and development opportunities for student council members and advisors in the state of Illinois. IMSA’s student council members had the chance to attend their most recent board meeting, which was held in the first week of May in Springfield. Below is a day-to-day recounting of the events in Isham’s experiences.

The students left Thursday morning at 9 AM in a van, and it took a total of three hours to arrive at Springfield. However, they were unable to book into the hotel until 6:30 PM, so they went to Raising Canes and traveled around. Finally, they were able to book in, and thirty minutes later had to attend an event at the ballroom of the hotel where they listened to speeches of those who were running for the state student council. After the speeches they were sorted into breakout rooms to discuss various topics. The members finally went to bed at around 11:00 PM. 

Friday morning, on the next day, they woke up to get breakfast and went back to the ballroom to vote for the new state student council. After this, the students went into a round table discussion about different topics once again. This time, Isham and Vincent You, Student Council’s Vice President, were paired with a few others to discuss their topic: homecoming. The students were broken up into more breakout rooms, but the conference mixed up all the rooms, resulting in three consecutive, disorganized breakout rooms. Once the conference was over, the Student Council members left for lunch. Isham and newly elected CAB director, Luci Stucco had to attend a regional meeting on the 29th floor. They were on the 1st floor. Isham recounts this as a “scary” experience, stating that the elevator was creaking on the way up. After the two reached the 29th floor, alive and without injuries, they had to stay at that meeting for a total of “thirty seconds,” as Isham recalls, and then had to take the long journey back down from the 29th floor to the 7th floor, which was equally as terrifying. Isham took a long nap until 6:00 PM, where she had to get dressed into formal attire for the banquet. Following the banquet, the students went to Downtown Springfield, where they explored the wonders of the capital of Illinois until 9:00 PM. At this time, the group decided to attend a party that was being held at the ballroom, but upon entering the area, they were introduced to the scene of their peers simply standing on the dance floor. Isham states, “They were standing on the dance floor in a clump, so we [StudCo executive board] said ‘that’s not for us’ and went to the movies.” However, Disney Pixar’s Cars was the only movie on screen, so the members bought snacks and went to bed. What an eventful day.

Finally, on the last day of their Springfield trip, which was a Saturday, the students attended their final general meeting in the ballroom and left for IMSA. On the van ride back home, the productive members utilized their three hours by discussing future StudCo plans. They decided to implement a secretary position in their board, which they wrote a whole application for in the ride.

“I think the trip was very good for the student council exec board to bond and we got a lot closer,” comments EmmaLi Isham, “but the conference was very disorganized because of the hotel and the school hosting it, so it was quite sporadic. However, I have high hopes for next year, where it will be hosted at Lombard!” EmmaLi Isham also suggested for students who might go to Springfield in the future for IASC to not “walk around in Springfield in heels because you might almost step on glass and it might cut your heels.” 

The Springfield trip for IMSA’s student council was not just a chance for leadership training; it also highlighted their adaptability and teamwork. Isham and her executive board tackled challenges with resilience, embraced their experiences, learned n0t to walk in heels in case of dangerous litter on the floor, and bonded through both the highs and the unexpected twists of the journey.