Link Crew: The Heart of Von Steuben

By Dina Goritsan

February 15, 2023

Attention all current sophomores and juniors! Do you want to join Von’s Link crew? Last week I met with Ms. Pauley and Mr. Hafeli, the Link crew coordinators, and asked them all about it.

Dina: “So first let's start off with the big question, what is Link Crew?”

Mr. Hafeli: “At its base, Link Crew is about supporting freshmen. It’s about caring for freshmen. Coming to high school can be scary and intimidating, and many freshmen don’t really know their way yet. In link crew, we find about 80 amazing juniors and seniors, the best leaders of the school, and we give them the tools to support and mentor those freshmen.”

Dina: “What goes into selecting those specific juniors and seniors?”

Ms. Pauley: “There’s an application process, which opens up on February 13th and is until February 24th. Applicants go online and fill out the google form which consists of submitting a video about why they want to be a part of link crew. Once the deadline to apply has passed, all applicants will be interviewed. After the interview, applicants will be put into groups and will have to do something within the group.”

Dina: “So there’s an individual interview as well as a group interview?”

Mr. Hafeli: “Yes. The individual interview really comes from the video that is submitted in the application. For the video in the application, we are asking for the reason they want to be a link crew leader as well as why they can see themselves as a leader. What we are really trying to see when you create this video is why you care and what makes you stand out. We have over 300 applicants for around 80 leader spots so it’s always very difficult to find leaders who really care.”

Ms. Pauley: “The application/interview process is really designed to see that. We want kids who care about the freshmen and who will put in the effort to care for them.”

Mr. Hafeli: “There are no restrictions on who can apply. It’s not based on grades, attendance, and there’s no recommendation needed. Any junior or any sophomore can apply for next year. We have had leaders who are very strong academically, as well as many who have really struggled in high school. We have leaders who are super outgoing, and ones who are more reserved and so much more. We really want to represent the whole student body.”

Dina: “I think that it’s really important for the freshmen to feel represented in the leaders because they feel like they can really look up to them.”

Mr. Hafeli: “The program has really grown over the last few years. We started in 2016 and we stayed alive during Covid and did it virtually. The reason why is because of 2 reasons: 1, people want to be a part of it, and 2, the leaders who are in it really care about the program, the freshmen, and wanting to be a part of something that makes the school better.”

Ms. Pauley: “That kindness and amount of caring spreads all around the school.”

Dina: “Many of the current leaders experienced Link Crew online. How do you think that experience would affect their ability to be a leader on their own?”

Mr. Hafeli: “That’s a really great question. There’s really a big difference between online and being virtual. It's just so much easier to make those connections in-person. We were nervous to bring it back and didn’t know if people would still want it or if we would have any applicants. We had the highest number of applications the following year, after Covid. I think so many students came back because they wanted that social part of their lives back again because they knew how hard it was to not have it. Link Crew works because everyone craves connection and social support. The freshmen as well as the leaders need it. If you can relate, that drive makes you a great leader and we will give you the tools to do that.”

Dina: “When it was online, it was weird, and nobody really wanted to do it but you could tell that the leaders really did try and want us to put in that effort to make those connections. I know that many people who apply say that they didn’t have the best freshman experience, so they want the freshmen to get the experience that they wanted their freshman year. What do you think about that?”

Mr. Hafeli: “At the end of the day, the reason it works is because of leaders who care. It’s really easy to tell when that’s authentic versus when it's inauthentic. Even the leaders who were virtual, it was definitely super awkward for them, but they still showed up and dealt with that awkwardness because they really cared. I think that even though it might not have been as engaging, it's still comforting to know that someone is trying to be there for you. At the end of the day every human wants to know that there’s going to be someone who really cares about them and supports them. Freshmen are vulnerable, they’re young, they’re transitioning from

middle school to high school, they’re impressionable, and they’re really concerned about what their peers think. What’s really cool about link crew leaders is that they really step out of their comfort zone. It’s really great for the freshmen to see that.”

Ms. Pauley: “Applicants have to realize that with Link Crew, you have to get back into that childlike mindset. Link crew really opens that door for them to be kids again.”

Mr. Hafeli: “Many people, especially high schoolers, are so concerned with what people think of them, and that fear holds them back from enjoying so much of life. What we really try to do with the link crew is to push leaders out of their comfort zone. We try to get them to be silly, to have fun, to go back to your kindergarten self where you didn’t care what others thought, you just wanted to have fun. Once you get back to that mindset, life’s so much more fun, there’s less anxiety, and life just starts to feel a lot lighter, and it’s infectious. That’s really how you start to change culture. The Link Crew has changed the feeling of what it’s like to go to Von. It used to be a school with fights and a lot of issues because the people who were looked up to didn’t care and they had negative mindsets. Even when they’re not with the freshmen, link leaders are still role models.”

Dina: “Even those who have graduated, they are still leaders. They can use all the lessons they learned at any point in their lives. I think that link crew is very engaging, especially for those who are visual or tactile learners. All the activities done in Link crew really help us develop those social skills and connections.”

Mr. Hafeli: “I think for the sophomores and juniors who are kind of considering it, they have to ask themselves why they want to do this. If you’re someone who really does care, we encourage you to apply. We don’t care about any other factors like grades. We are pretty good at seeing the leader in you, even if you don’t see it in yourself.”

Dina: “Has this current group of leaders stood out in a certain way compared to leaders in previous years?”

Mr. Hafeli: “We’ve gone bigger with events each year. What we’ve noticed with this group of leaders is that they go above and beyond because that’s who they are. They want to throw awesome events, not because we tell them to, but because they want to.”

Ms. Pauley: “Even with the locker decorating for the freshmen last week, that was new and it was awesome.It was super simple and that’s where the care part comes from. A lot of those leaders just really cared and wanted to do something nice for them. You can tell the amount of effort, time, and energy they put into decorating those lockers.”

Dina: “Can you talk about the link crew class a bit?”

Mr. Hafeli: “You can only get into the link crew class after the link crew application and the interviews. Once you get into link crew, You can go to your counselor and they can replace one of your electives to add the class if you decide to take it. The class is really focused on 3 things: team-building, meeting new people, and finally events and planning. The events that you see are all created, designed, and led by the students of the class.”

Dina: “The class is really the brains of the whole operation.”

Mr. Hafeli: “If you’re thinking of something that involves being a leader, a manager, or something along those lines after high school, the class is a really great way to gain those leadership skills and experiences. Especially when working with all different types of people, the class really helps you get your voice, ideas, and opinions in.”

Ms. Pauley: “The class this year really participates and feels included in everything.”

Mr. Hafeli: “You come out of the class feeling like a much more confident person and leader with a leader mindset which can really help anyone in the future.”

Dina: “I know many people choose to apply to link crew because it looks good on college applications. Can you talk a bit about how link crew would help you not only in college, but as well as the future and in the real world?”

Mr. Hafeli: “Link Crew does look great on college applications and it helps you in jobs and helps you stand out from everyone. One of the big things regarding Link Crew is that it gets students to see themselves as leaders. You develop an authentic confidence in yourself once you get into that leader mindset, which can help in anything in life. You become a better version of yourself.”

For more information about Link Crew, please visit vonlinkcrew.com.