Last spring, following an official Presidential Forum and schoolwide vote, Sebastian Arreola ’25 and Charmaine Chinodakufa ’25 were elected school president and vice president for the 2024-2025 academic year. The two stood out for their commitment to fostering the human-to-human connections that set Pomfret apart. As leaders, they are focused on building an inclusive community rooted in collaboration and connection. United in their dedication to Pomfret, they aspire to leave a lasting legacy.

Although he didn’t plan to be, Sebastian is a four-year senior. As an international student from Mexico, he intended to attend Pomfret for one year before returning to his hometown high school. After his freshman year, he extended his time on the Hilltop for another year and ultimately decided to finish his high school years at Pomfret. When arriving for his junior year without an end date looming over his head, Sebastian immediately felt like Pomfret was his second home and began getting more involved, becoming the co-president of La Familia, Pomfret's Hispanic / Latinx affinity group. His advisor, Doug Litowitz, encouraged Sebastian to run for school president. 

When Charmaine initially arrived at Pomfret, she had trouble opening up. After developing a connection with her advisory group, she began to feel more comfortable. She also began to feel like the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office, led by Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. Cory McCarter, was a second home. “It’s there that I feel like I can let my guard down and be my most authentic self,” says Charmaine. “Dr. McCarter has really helped me grow as a leader.” As a result, Charmaine started advocating for policy change, leading her peers as a prefect, running Courageous Community Conversations 4 Change, and serving as a co-leader of VOICE — a multicultural student-led group that empowers diversity, fosters Inclusion, and builds unity. The old thoughts of self-doubt crept in as she considered running for school president. However, her peers supported her through the presidential primaries, and she ultimately received the second most votes, earning her role as vice president.

While their roads to the most challenging Pomfret student leadership positions differ, Sebastian and Charmaine share the ultimate goals of ensuring that the students' voices are heard and making Pomfret a place where everyone is welcome and an active member of the community. Together, they have already successfully helped plan Mashamoquet Day and run their first School Meeting. They are looking forward to presiding over the Student Senate. 

Sebastian has dedicated his presidency to dispelling apathy. He wants students to be part of a caring community that makes the School a place they are excited to be a part of. “You can sit in your room and think about how you can make this school a better place, or you can get out there, share your ideas, become involved, and make Pomfret what you want it to be,” says Sebastian. 

Each year, the student leaders are asked to develop a motto that embodies their goals for their term. Sebastian and Charmine developed “Change Brings Opportunity.” They will close each School Meeting with the phrase, reminding their classmates to be an engaged and active member of the school community. “One of the main things we want to encourage is for more student voices to be a part of institutional decisions and for more collaborations between administrations and the student body,” says Charmaine. 

Sebastian agrees, noting that the world is so polarized that people fear voicing their opinions. “As we are learning and experiencing in our history classes, we need to see and understand the viewpoint from each side,” he says. “We need to learn to agree and disagree.” 

Charmaine and Sebastian each have an extra motivation to leave a lasting impact. They want their leadership to affect the current and future generations of Pomfret students, which includes Charmaine’s sister, Annette Chinodakufa ’27, and Sebastain’s brother, Nico Arreola ’27. “Having siblings who are current Griffins pushes us to be better,” says Charmaine. “We want to establish traditions that will be upheld and help change the culture that will continue after we graduate, especially for our siblings. We want them to be in a school that strives to improve and be even better than it already is.” 
 

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