As the new kid in school two and a half years ago, Elshadai Hailu could have blended in without a peep. Instead, she did the opposite.

Last Saturday, Hailu graduated from South Whidbey High School alongside 119 other seniors. It capped off the two and a half years Hailu spent actively involved in government, clubs and after-school activities, after moving to South Whidbey from Ethiopia in 2014. Arguably her biggest contribution was serving as South Whidbey School District’s student representative for a year, which she said was a means of getting to know and becoming involved with the community.

“It was a way for me to go out, meet people and feel comfortable in this new school,” Hailu said. “I didn’t just move to a different school district, I moved across the world from a different continent. It was like, ‘Wow, this is what people do.’”

She was credited by board Chairwoman Linda Racicot as having brought new innovations to her position, such as proactively submitting her student reports digitally the same way board members do.

“It allows the school board to review the report before the meeting,” Racicot said. “We thought that was pretty neat.”

Though Hailu was born and raised in Ethiopia, you wouldn’t notice it by the way she talks; she went to an international school where she grew up speaking English. It was during the second semester of her sophomore year that she moved to South Whidbey. Though unfamiliar to her at the time, South Whidbey is home for parts of her family, including her great-great-grandmother and grandmother who were born on Whidbey Island. Her father was also raised on the island. All attended South Whidbey High School.

Not long after becoming a Falcon, Hailu jumped at the opportunity to become a representative after she heard the position had opened over the intercom during morning announcements.

“A lot of the things I do is just a way to meet people and get to know how things work in this community,” Hailu said. “I don’t know if I even discussed it with anyone. I was still pretty new.”

Hailu was interviewed by the board of directors as well as the student representative at the time; each could ask one question.

“It was very laid back,” Hailu said.

In addition to being a student representative, Hailu is the Key Club’s treasurer, a member of Knowledge Bowl and Green Team. She also served as projects and communications director on one of Key Club’s Pacific Northwest divisional boards.

“That was fun,” Hailu said. “A lot of it took communicating and that was probably the one big thing I learned, is that you really need to know how to communicate with your team.”

Though she admitted to it sounding cliché, Hailu said her work with Key Club made a positive impact. She took part in a fundraiser that raised $400 for the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund during Halloween. The funds went toward eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus.

“The vaccine for it is like $1.80, so you really do realize you can make a difference,” Hailu said. “In the beginning it was just getting involved in the community, but then you realize you’re useful and can do good things.”

Hailu also volunteers at the soup kitchen, thrift store and food bank.

South Whidbey High School English teacher Jaryl Cave was especially impressed with Hailu starting an after-school homework club alongside senior Amara Garibyan. Cave said the duo racked up 50 hours of volunteer work while helping students find a quiet place to study and work on homework. They also lent a hand in editing essays by their peers or helping with math homework.

“She’s a tremendously conscientious young woman,” Cave said. “She has just embraced volunteerism and being involved. She is so dependable and reliable.”

“I can’t even begin to list all the ways she’s been strongly involved.”

Proving true to Cave’s sentiments, it took a minute for Hailu to think of the things she does when not volunteering or serving a governmental role. She reads John Grisham books and dabbles in television occasionally.

Though she doesn’t claim to excel in one particular field of a study over another, Hailu has her eyes set on pursuing cognitive science at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, which she feels will be a good mix of her current interests. It was a change from her previous ambitions of being a lawyer.

“It had a little do with computer science and a little to do with human psychology and health science,” Hailu said.

Cave said she will be missed.

“We’re really fortunate she came to South Whidbey High School,” Cave said. “She’s behind the scenes and doesn’t draw attention to herself at all. She has this commitment of following through. That’s just such a wonderful quality to have.”

Katryose Jordan will replace Hailu on the board as the next student representative.