by Kasper Halevy (’24), Safaa Hussain (’23), and Matthew Tran (’23) | October 11, 2021

From the Associated Student Body to the Peter Morey Spirit Award, you’ve likely heard the name Aidan Sanchez (’22) in the context of an avidly involved student in school activities. With significant pressure stemming from academic coursework and the college application crunch, as well as a diverse assortment of extracurriculars, his calendar is “always loaded Monday through Friday,” he said. 

Despite his outgoing personality, Sanchez was rather timid as a freshman at Saint Francis and had to develop into a proactive student. “When I first came to Saint Francis, even [at] our freshman experience, I was pretty shy, because I’ve never been to school with more than forty people at once. And so I [experienced] personal growth by putting myself out there and just having the ability to take initiative to say ‘Hi, my name is Aidan,’” he reflected.

As a senior, Sanchez is juggling a variety of extracurricular commitments, including coordinating activities as an ASB representative, reaching out through Campus Ministry’s Ignite as a core team member, and serving as tech director for theater programs and shows. His “most proud” accomplishment at Saint Francis is founding the Filipino American Student Union, a group dear to his heart.

When he initially joined Saint Francis, Sanchez noticed that there was no affinity group for students of his ethnicity. In conjunction with the newly instituted Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion program, he was able to launch the union in his sophomore year. “We’re all like one big family. All Filipinos call each other cousins,” he shared.

Because of his innate passion and profound connection to his activities, they are much more valuable to him than an entry on a résumé: “My activities are a part of me. My creative side is with the arts and ASB, my heritage and culture is obviously with [my union], and Ignite for my faith.”
Sanchez’s time at Saint Francis reflects his individual legacy. He largely credits Saint Francis alumni, who were his mentors, for cultivating his “drive to get out there, meet new people, and form unexpected relationships.” In recognizing his influence on the Saint Francis community, Sanchez wishes to extend important advice about consistency to his underclassmen: “Fight for your cause and just keep insisting because it’s important to follow through in your projects.”