Angelica Chaisson-Cardenas is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Urbandale High School. She was born in Saint Paul Minnesota but moved to Washington when she was three and stayed there until she was seven. Her family moved to Iowa in 2007, where she jumped from Ankeny to Iowa City before finally settling in Urbandale. She is the new president of Key Club, an activist for woman’s rights, and a cat-lover.
Angelica is an only child but says her cousin Nieves is like a sister to her. Her mother is Mexican, and her father is Guatemalan. She also has a dog named Zeus, and a cat named Sherlock. “Both my parents are social workers, so I grew up in a household that was always talking about people, their experiences, and their lives. And I think that’s something that really had an impact on me.” Angelica wants to go into criminology, or psychology in the future to spark her interest in behavioral aspects of everyday life.
“I like journalism because I like putting thoughts on paper and I really enjoy the community that Journalism brings,” Angelica said. “It’s not even necessarily about the subject or what we’re writing, we’re like a family in there. We are a very dysfunctional, loud family with ever so many visiting cousins.” Similar to Journalism, her favorite subject is English.
Her biggest role model is her mom, who immigrated to America around 1974. “She had no support system, but off her own back got a full-ride scholarship to Berkeley, worked through college, and got her masters. She’s just incredible.”
Recently elected president of Key Club, her goal is to help Key club make an impact with projects in the future. “Key club is like a place where people who want to do good things can channel that energy into specific tasks that help the community. I like that students who participate can gain silver cord hours and really make a difference.” Angelica said, mentioning they do the rose sale in February around Valentine’s day and use that money to buy things for a family they ‘adopt’, including food, clothes, and lots of toys. “Currently, we are working on the blood drive through the Red Cross, it’s May 16th in the trophy hallway of Urbandale High School. 16-year-olds need consent from a parent, but 17-year-olds can donate blood on their own. It’s amazing that at our age we have the opportunity to give back to the healthcare system especially after the pandemic these past few years. It is open to the general public, so bring your parents and family. Everyone should come!”
Just finishing her sophomore year as the new president of Key Club, and activist for Women’s rights, Angelica Chaisson-Cardenas is going to make an impact in the future.
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