The lively buzz of candidate speeches filled the English classrooms Wednesday, April 24 as students deliberated and elected the incoming schoolwide Student Government Association (SGA) officers for the next year.
The results were announced through the P.A. during seventh period: Junior Liam Recklaus as the schoolwide class president, junior Justin Suh vice president, sophomore Susan Suh secretary, and junior Sahil Sahasrabudhe treasurer.
The election process starts long before election day. Candidates must first get a petition signed with their classmates’ signatures to run. After they are officially running for an office, the campaign begins. Many candidates look to social media as their main campaign platform, posting content on Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, all candidates film their speeches to be shared with the student body on election day, stating their experience and goals for the upcoming year if elected. Finally, students vote in their English classes, and the votes are hand-counted by SGA members to ensure the correct winners are announced and that the process is fair.
Recklaus’ campaign for the presidency beat the other three candidates, sophomore Sedric Su, junior Fatima Tabet, and junior Aida Hodjatzadeh. In his speech he highlighted his extensive experience with advocacy. “Already being my class’s president makes me the perfect guy for this endeavor,” he said in his speech. “I know the ins and outs of SGA, I know what can and can’t be done and I know how to get things done.”
Justin Suh’s speech emphasized his desire for advocacy rather than power as motivation for running. “Last year behind this very podium, I told you that I was never one to run for SGA because I didn’t care for the popularity or attention, and that hasn’t changed,” he said in his speech. “I’m not here for the college resume or the bragging rights.”
Sahasrabudhe emphasized the importance of advocacy for students by increasing transparency. “One of my biggest goals is to keep things transparent,” he said. “Whether you’re super involved in SGA or not, I want every student to be able to see how and why we’re spending money and the breakdown of it.” Sahasrabudhe was the only candidate for the schoolwide treasurer position.
Susan Suh was a first time SGA officer but in her speech, she described how she felt compelled to bring change anyway. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, I don’t have any SGA background, I’ve never really been that interested because it felt like such a distant thing,” she said. “But this year I’m running because I don’t anyone to feel that way.”
