Editor-in-Chief emeritus senior Alex Balian is a powerhouse in this school and Montgomery County alike.

In his monumental senior year, Balian wore every crown he could: SGA co-president, varsity boys’ soccer captain and editor-in-chief of Common Sense. “When Alex didn’t take Intro to Journalism because it didn’t fit in his schedule with SGA, his counselor wrote to me over the summer. He is as much of a superstar as his counselor said. He ended up becoming my student aid for Intro to Journalism first semester of his senior year, and he was so instrumental in helping those kids. It was a real full circle moment,” English teacher and journalism adviser Evva Starr, who Balian cited as his favorite teacher, said.

But Balian’s impact can’t just be measured in titles, it’s in the way he moves through the halls. He wasn’t just leading and winning; he was listening and working. You can find the real story of Balian in the everyday moments: staying late to edit print issues, pushing for change with his leadership and showing up for his team when no one was watching. “He was a good captain, everyone looked up to him. He works really hard and hustles a lot. In our game against Kennedy, he got a bloody nose and kept playing, which shows how dedicated he is to everything he does,” Balian’s soccer teammate, junior Aadi Chaudhari, said.