Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Branford High School (BHS) attended the State Beta Club Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 17, which saw great strides amongst the club. Twenty-five Beta Club members came back with awards, while Jon Weisner was elected to the presidency of the state Beta Club. Wisner is the first student from BHS to be elected to the prestigious title.
Weisner, 16-years-old, will become the state president on July 1 and will also attempt to run for president of the National Beta Club when they meet in Orlando in June.
Weisner was born in Kuwait to military parents and moved to O’Brien a year later, where he has been since. A product of the Suwannee County School District, Wisner has attended Branford Elementary School and BHS. He is a member of a few clubs at BHS, including Future Farmers of America.
Weisner felt motivated to run, as he wanted to represent the rural communities that came to the state convention and felt there wasn’t enough representation at the higher level. “Rural communities are underrepresented,” Weisner said. “There are so many small communities that attend the state convention for Beta Club, and I didn’t feel like they were being represented.”
Weisner said that he wants to represent Branford, Suwannee County and other rural counties as a way to show that larger communities like Jacksonville and Orlando are not the only ones that can produce higher-level students. “I want to put us on the map and make a name for ourselves,” Weisner said.
While representing at the state level, he intends to balance his academics with his club activities. “I like to keep a cool head,” Weisner said. “I don’t pile stuff up, and I’ll get things done when they need to be done. That way, when those things do come up, I don’t have to worry about completing them.” Weisner emphasized that balance is key and focusing on his academics is important.
Although Weisner hopes to excel in his studies and graduate, he said that his future is up in the air regarding what career he wants to pursue. The engineering and architecture field has been on his radar. However, he is open to exploring other avenues. He has also considered a public office position in the future when the timing is right. “If I did pursue public office, Beta Club has set me up with these public speaking opportunities,” Weisner said.
Overall, Weisner credits the fact that he has taken chances to be successful, even as a junior at BHS. That includes when being backed into a corner or when the odds may not be in his favor. “You have to aim high and not be afraid to lose,” Weisner said. “You’ll never know if you will win if you don’t try. Even if I lose, I still show people that I did it and made a name for myself. You can’t be afraid to take the risk because you’ll never know what’s going to happen, so go for it.”