Historian:
Karen Dong
Most Important Duties:
Your main duties are to make the national scrapbook and judge the Photo of the Month contest. It’s best to stay organized—you’ll want to know where all of your photos and files are or else you’ll be scrambling when you actually make the scrapbook. Additionally, you’ll get some emails from JCLers and some other general officer duties, so don’t be afraid of communicating with others and make sure to answer emails and complete any tasks in a timely manner.
How to Prepare for Office:
The campaigning process is heavily reliant on actual social interaction, so I highly recommend you go to Nats in-person and talk to other people. Go to mixers and dances and karaoke—anything to get your name out there and establish your JCLove and spirit. Also, make sure that your state is actively campaigning with you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The historian specifically should have experience with graphic design, photo editing, and digital publication. It would be best if you had made a scrapbook in the past—you want that experience backing you and your words up. Additionally, NJCL uses Joomag and Canva, so you should experiment with those before campaigning.
Campaign Analysis:
In my campaign, I specifically emphasized my experience, linking my Flickr and my past scrapbooks on a Linktree. In my opinion, the role of historian is dependent on your ability to create a great scrapbook, and you want to show others that you know what you’re doing and that you won’t deliver a horrendous scrapbook, but rather a beautiful one. In my campaign, I definitely could’ve gone to more events and gotten to know more JCLers. I campaigned mainly through social media and the election events, such as Meet the Candidates and Open Forum, and while it was effective, getting to know your electors on a more personal level not only ensures that they know your names, but that you also know what they’re looking for in their future board.