There is a new Personera at the Columbus School, it hasn’t been since 2013 that a women had been elected for the job, but that changed Sept 7th 2018 when Paulina Bernal had officially gained the position.

It is Colombian Law and a tradition at TCS to elect STUCO and Personero/a. Paulina Bernal won this year’s personera position and is currently working with all STUCO to make learning better.

“I personally strongly believe in women empowerment and in all of the changes that women have made through the years and how we’ve probed how we’are capable of doing the same things as men,” Paulina Bernal, TCS 12th grade student, said.

At the Columbus School this topic hasn’t been talked about enough. Paulina beliefs that each year women are becoming more and more powerful, they are rivaling men.

“I believe that is just for the mentality of people or women candidates of other years that were not as convincing as the ones of this year, also this year we were 3 women against 1 male,”  Bernal said.

Paulina says that the reason for not having a female personera since 2013 is because the women from past years had not been as convincing and had a weak mentality so that’s why they weren’t elected.

“Everything she said she was going to accomplish she’s accomplishing it and I think that she’s going to be one of the first personeros to actually accomplish anything in the school,” Daniela Villegas, 12th grader, said.

Villegas believes that Paulina is ready to work really hard as a Personera and she has acknowledged Paulinas proposals. Hopes are high that Paulina will be one of the first personeras in several years to accomplish something important at TCS.

“I think that maybe, for instance more girls can have voice in the school, because when there’s a male personero females are scared of approaching the personera,” Daniela Villegas said.

Other female students are hopeful that having a female personera will help females gain more voice in school issues and will help encourage other girls to get involved in student government.

“I think it’s the most important or most fundamental part of her speech, it is that shes gonna do her best,” Gaviria said.