National Junior Classical League
MC 4 2VP
Manuel Cantillo — Candidate for Second Vice President
About Me
SALVETE AMICI! My name is Manuel Cantillo and I am running to be your 2026-27 NJCL Second Vice President. Much like many of you my love for classics came from being a Percy Jackson fan, I grew up on Rick Riordan books. When not obsessing over the JCL you'll probably find me with one airpod in listening to musicals or rock. Outside of the JCL I am involved with my school's Robotics team as a Co-Captain, where I head the Designing and Building of the robot. I am also a Scout working towards my eagle project, I also have over 600+ service hours working with children from education to just normal summer camp. My inspiration for running started at my first National Convention at Emory where I saw my friend Natalie become elected to the national board, and again at Knoxville when my friend Philip was also elected. I can't wait to meet and talk to all of you, I hope you all have an amazing time at convention!!
My Campaign: The Three C's
Community
The friendly hand of the JCL, aids in every way.
- Set up a Google Form so JCL members can nominate causes that actually mean something to them, with a quick note on why
- Move away from just picking the same well-known charities every time and actually go with organizations our members care about
- Put together a database of organizations from every state, so future 2VPs and service organizers at the national, state, or local level have somewhere to go for ideas
Cheers
Nobody should have to start spirit planning from scratch.
- Put together a searchable collection of state and chapter cheers so newcomers and first-time spirit coordinators actually have somewhere to start
- Bring in some new spirit contest formats — like partially silent spirit, or spirit that goes from quiet to loud right at the end — so you get two different vibes in one performance
- Start a "Most Unique Spirit Cheer" recognition, picked from submissions the 2VP approves each day before General Assembly (GA)
Clubs
Shouting out the chapters that show up every single time, not just the ones that win.
- Start a new end-of-term shoutout for clubs that keep submitting to Club of the Month, even if they never take first
- Make sure showing up consistently actually gets recognized, instead of only ever hearing about the top three
- Put together a guide within Club of the Month (CotM) on how to actually run a successful club event, including advice straight from past CotM winners
Past Experience
Secretary
Recently started my term in March. Since then I've been communicating with my board and directing them in prepping for Nats, jumping in on whatever jobs or questions come up.
Treasurer
- Ran state spirit and led the delegation to a first-place spirit win at Nationals last year
- Worked with outside organizations to set up events, including fundraisers
600+ Service Hours Logged
A consistent record of hands-on community service throughout my time in JCL.
Other Leadership Experience
- Robotics Team, Co-Captain — organized team events and helped onboard and support new members
- Boy Scouts, Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) — set up and ran troop activities, another example of the hands-on organizing experience I'd bring to the role
- Eagle Scout Project (in progress) — planning and leading a service project, adding even more hands-on service experience beyond my logged hours
Questions
Have any questions about my campaign or any questions you have for me? Please ask them below and I will respond to them personally at the end of every night.