For the past four years, senior Elizabeth McGovern has immersed herself in many Buena communities that have shaped her high school experience and who she has become today. Whether through being a section editor in journalism, a trumpet player in the wind ensemble or the vice president of the Pawprint literary magazine, McGovern has consistently dedicated her time to sharing her voice and others, fostering creativity and building connections across campus. 

As a top 20 senior, not only is McGovern an academic weapon, she is also a strong, dedicated and organized leader in every activity she takes on. 

She started finding her voice through Buena’s journalism program, Buena Speaks News. McGovern joined journalism during her junior year after receiving a teacher recommendation. What started as a curiosity quickly became one of her passions. Getting out of her comfort zone to interview and becoming features section editor made her find a love for the newspaper. 

“I like covering important topics,” McGovern said. “I really like spotlighting issues that I’m passionate about and bringing awareness to things that are going on around, not just the high school, but our city. It gave me a voice to say these things and to show to others.”

Her passion for advocacy also influenced her future goals. Growing up, McGovern was interested in politics and global issues, often asking questions about current events from a young age. The interest deepened after witnessing student activism firsthand during the library walkout protests at Buena. 

Along with sharing her voice, McGovern also learned to share her musical talent in the Buena music program. She began playing trumpet in fifth grade and joined concert band freshman year. Sophomore year, she joined marching band and drumline, and she joined the Buena Music Student Council (BMSC) as a class representative, eventually becoming wind equipment manager and performing in the wind ensemble. 

“When I joined marching band, I found my community and learned how much I loved music,” McGovern said. “I have met some of my best friends there.”

McGovern also credited her support system for helping her through both good and bad times. Through the late-night practices after school, the long competitions on the weekends, and the trumpet practice at home, her parents have always supported her.

In addition to leadership and performance McGovern helped support Buena’s music program financially. During both her sophomore and junior years, she successfully applied for Ventura Education Partnership (VEP) worth $1,000 each, helping provide new music for the band program. 

As much as she’s musically talented, she is academically smart and creative, dedicating four years to Pawprint, Buena High School’s literary magazine that showcases student writing and artwork. Serving as vice president during her senior year, she helped oversee editing, organize meetings and support the publication process alongside editor-in-chief Olivia McGowan. 

“[Pawprint] attracted me because I think it is so important to foster writing and art at the [high school age],” McGovern said. “It is really cool how our high school has a 50+ year old literary magazine… I love how we are able to gather this art and writing from around the Buena community and showcase students’ work and put it in this really cool magazine.”

English teacher and Pawprint advisor Karin Childress said McGovern became an essential part of the publication’s success. Childress also reflected on McGovern’s growth since freshman year. 

“She really was a quiet student freshman year, and she rose to leadership roles…She would help lead meetings, [and] she would step in when needed,” Childress said.

McGovern’s work ethic and leadership earned her the Pawprint “Lightning Award,” which recognizes students who make lasting contributions to the literary magazine. As someone who works hard and dedicates her time, McGovern was more than deserving. 

“She is always ready to jump in and help, and she is always a positive person. You don’t hear her complain about things. She just dives in, sees a problem, and is like, ‘all right, what can we do?’” Childress said.

Looking ahead, McGovern plans to attend California State University, Long Beach, where she will major in political science. While she considered multiple universities, such as California Lutheran and University of California San Diego, she said Long Beach ultimately felt like the right fit. Although politics inspired her academic interests, McGovern hopes to use her degree in nonprofit work and advocacy rather than pursuing a political career directly.

As she prepares to graduate, McGovern hopes the impact she leaves behind is one of dedication, compassion and leadership through action. 

“I want people to remember me as someone who led by example with a lot of things, and [as someone who] cares about, and puts time into things,” McGovern said.