This year, for Personero, we had four different candidates with promising futures.

At The Columbus School, every year the students vote for a student body president—known as the Personero. Students enjoy having someone who represents both the school and the senior class. However, being a Personero comes with a lot of responsibilities and extra work.

In 2025, the students voted for Valentina Barrientos as student body president. Although she won, there has been some controversy about whether or not she was the right pick.

The four candidates were Tomás Mena, Valentina Barrientos, Martín Cadavid, and Alicia Peláez. The voting process is divided among three groups: 5th grade, middle school, and high school. Some students felt this was problematic because the younger voters aren’t as affected by the Personero’s actions once elected. This raised questions about whether all groups should have equal influence in the final result.

Santiago Escobar said, “Valentina or Toto, they really have the best interests in mind, and I really saw it in the video.”

Both have managed their campaigns and shown genuine interest in the school’s growth. However, Tomás Mena has wanted this position for a long time.

He said, “It was 14 years ago and I saw the Personero as the guide to the entire student body. So it really inspired me.”

Martín Cadavid also recognized Tomás’s dedication, saying, “I would probably vote for Toto if I wasn’t running for Personero, since he always has had this as his goal, and it always had been something he was aiming for.”

Many high school students agreed that Tomás had been preparing for this role for years. The question that followed the election results was: Why did Valentina win?

The answer seems to be her focus on younger students, especially those in 5th grade. This gave her a significant advantage in the voting. While this was the main point of debate, another centered on qualifications. All of the candidates appeared capable, but Martín Cadavid was seen by some as less experienced.

Santiago Escobar explained, “I feel like they need to know how to lead their people, and also risk management like, analyze problems and you know, problem solving, very good problem solving.”

Martín didn’t exactly fit that profile, but he made up for it with effort and creativity. Santiago also said, “I thought that Martín Cadavid put more effort into his video and into his campaign, so I voted for him.”

His image and message shaped his campaign significantly, making him a tough competitor. Martín was the candidate with the most heart built into his campaign, which is extremely honorable.

With all of this in mind, what really matters is the well-being of the school and its students. All of the candidates put the students’ needs first.

Martín Cadavid reflected, “I mean, what is a school without students? I think it’s way more important what the students want, since they’re the ones who spend all their time here, they’re the ones that grow up here, and they spend most of their lives here.”

No matter who won, each candidate demonstrated passion and commitment. Even though some people don’t believe Valentina should’ve won, the vote was cast and the decision stands.

With all controversy behind us, the school is happy to welcome and congratulate Valentina Barrientos as the new Personero for this school year. The job is hers, and the school can’t wait to see what she accomplishes.