Maybe you know him as the sophomore class president, or enjoyed the food truck program he organized. Or maybe you’re a member of the Student Union Party, the advocacy club he leads, or have signed his petition to close school for the week of Winter Storm Jonas.

Whatever it is, sophomore Alex Abrosimov has probably changed your RM experience one way or the other. And now, he’s running for SMOB.

“I want to bring a fresh voice to the Board and I want to give the students a voice at the Board, not give the Board a voice at the students,” Abrosimov said.

This sums up his philosophy towards student government, and it’s clearly woven throughout his work at RM and even beyond in the general MCPS community, where he’s accomplished a vast amount of projects to improve students’ lives and communicate their ideas to the adults that have a real vote.

Ambrosimov’s experience addressing real student issues transcends currently established student government groups, although he is prominent in both school and county SGA, as sophomore class president, and a member of the MCR finance committee.

Uniquely, he also co-heads original side projects with sophomore Veeraj Majethia – most notably the Student Union Party, “Food Truck Frenzy,” and his snow storm petition.

He stated in a Facebook post, “I know [the petition] seemed like a joke at first…But I fixed it because the real issue is safety.” It pinpointed a real problem that affected student lives, and created an actionable plan that encouraged student unity and participation, a common theme in his proactive enterprises.

With over 200 Student Union Party members, more than 460 students in the “Food Truck Frenzy” Facebook group, and 10,311 signatures on the storm petition at its close, Ambrosimov is becoming well-known throughout the county for his advocacy.

His peers speak to his devotion to the job. “Ever since he ran for class president last year, I’ve seen him become very passionate about student advocacy and making a change in any way he can,” sophomore class secretary Esika Savsani said.

Running for SGA was what first ignited a deep involvement in politics for Abrosimov, as well as a drive to shape government for the better.

“I didn’t just happen to find out how to do all of these things. I was inspired by Veeraj. In fact he just found me one day when we were both running for office. Since then we worked closely and he has mentored and guided me through a lot of hard times,” Abrosimov said.

“I saw that this is actually a really great way to get some change done – except for the red tape. And I think that’s a big thing that I have to do as SMOB. I have to cut the red tape,” he said.

On top of that, another major theme of his work is improving student-SMOB communication, a chief issue, as the SMOB still does not have the full voting rights that would inform students of their contributions to Board meetings and decisions.

Currently, SMOB-student interaction consists almost solely of “town halls,” SMOB minutes, and other similar mass communications, which SMOB Eric Guerci strived for, as stated in his official platform.

Abrosimov has a very different vision, including deemphasizing town halls, which he stated can take months and months to get done, and promoting helping each school SGA develop individual approaches to solutions instead.

“I know that many SMOBs just go there to sit there and discuss and play nice, but I actually want to get some stuff done, like I have at RM, and I think that it’s possible, with the strategies that I have,” Abrosimov said.

So already, Abrosimov has demonstrated himself to be very individualized in his communication, with constant Facebook posts asking for inputs and addressing questions about his projects.

He and Majethia also founded the Student Union Party at RM to give students a channel for their voice. “We have an agenda to make the disconnect between SGA and students disappear and have made great strides to do so.” Abrosimov said.

Currently, Abrosimov is in the process of visiting schools, and has made a significant effort to publicize his work to other schools outside of RM. “Just today, [Feb. 3], at Whitman, I gave out 125 business cards to people who wanted them, “ he said. “When I was at Whitman HS, I was asked how I got food trucks. So I emailed their SGA a list of steps on how I made it happen to RM. I hope it works there just as it did here. Because honestly, even if I don’t win, at least I’ll know that I actually helped some people.”

The process is just beginning, as finalists will soon be decided soon at the annual nominating convention.

“Campaigning is, overall, a thrilling and challenging experience…It’s not even about winning or losing, it’s about taking on a new challenge not alone, but with your friends, family, and other people in your life that want to help you succeed,” senior, former SMOB finalist, and now impartial Special Elections Commissioner Rachit Agarwal said.

Whatever the outcome may be, students can be sure that Abrosimov will continue advocating for the student voice to be heard. “I believe that there’s a lot more possibilities than what [Guerci] lets on to, and the students don’t want to hear no, no, no all the time. We need to have an action plan and I think that that’s the best way forward,” Abrosimov said.

This article originally ran in the print edition of February print edition of The Tide.