Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor
Though the majority of high schoolers are unable to participate directly in the election process through voting, a few juniors and seniors made an impact on the community in their own way through volunteer work.
With the implementation of the poll worker program, students were able to reach out to their community by counting ballots and assisting voters by volunteering as poll workers on Nov. 8.  The working day lasted about 16 hours, with the number of voters peaking in the morning.
“It was pretty good, kind of busy in the morning,” senior poll volunteer Emily Khalili said. “But, the rest of the day was pretty slow. It was nice to see how confident and excited people are to vote.”
Student volunteers found that the controversy surrounding this historic election made it a more memorable experience.
“I think it was important because I got to be a part of a very important election. [I also] got the experience of helping out my fellow neighbors,” junior poll volunteer Esme Bernstein said.
One of the most interesting parts of the experience, according to junior poll volunteer Chloe Levian, was the variety of voters that appeared at the polls.
“It has been fascinating to observe a plethora of voters,” Levian said. “[From] 18-year-olds voting for their first time, [to] 50-year-olds voting for their first time, [to] people in their 80s who never miss an election.”
The coordinator of the program, history teacher Roel Hinojosa, finds it important that teenagers participate in the election despite being unable to vote.
“It’s a public service,” Hinojosa said. “It educated them on a system that they will later participate in.”