Students Run for Office in Student Government Elections

By ATIF GUJAR and XIN ZHEN

The candidates ready their speeches and put their campaign ideas on full blast as June 8, Midwood’s election day, fast approaches. 

On May 22, Coordinator of Student Affairs, Mr. Lawrence Kolotkin sent out an email including the names of all candidates for student government for the 2018-2019 school year. The election will be held in room 155.

Many of the candidates were inspired to run for student government through their experiences at Midwood and their friends.

“As a student at Midwood, I found myself connecting with my peers and constantly listening to their concerns. I feel that it’s a necessity for us, the sophomore class, to pursue a new direction. I believe that I can bring new ideas and improve the morale of our school,” said Jonathan Li ’20, a candidate for junior class president. 

Emma Harutyan ’19, a candidate for senior president said, “What inspired me to run was the complaints and ideas from my fellow peers about the school I was baffled at the potential Midwood could reach if those ideas became reality.” 

The comptroller’s job is to support the school and help with the school financially with responsibilities such as preparing a budget for the student government. For Sonel Rubenstein ’19, her inspiration came from her childhood experiences and family members.

“My grandfather often took me to his job where he was the financial manager of a publishing company. It is because of him that I found an interest in finance and organizational budgeting, as well as an understanding of the importance finance, plays in many institutions and businesses. I hope to follow in his footsteps one day and I know that being comptroller would be the perfect initial step,” said Rubenstein.

Some applied for student government in order to challenge themselves and see what they can do for the school. 

“Honestly, I had never heard of this position before. After I asked what comptroller had to do, what their job and responsibility is, I started to get interested about this position. I want to challenge myself to see how can we work as a group to make Midwood a better place,” said Na Zheng ’20, a candidate for comptroller. 

The previous student government created many fun activities that helped inform students of different activities around the school and create a more fun atmosphere.

“During my term, I was able to continue what I started during my junior year, the Club Fair, and this year we had more than 50 clubs attending the fair which sparked both club attendance and school spirit overall. Another accomplishment that I am most proud of is starting the first ever Asian Festival since 1999 this past March, and working under extreme conditions with under less than 2 weeks to prepare and last minute changes to the program, and of course it wouldn’t have been possible without my team,” said Joyce Chen ’18, the mayor. 

The new candidates have their own hopes for the school and many wish to spark changes in the school system as well as help students voices be heard.

Laura Rosas ’19, a candidate for junior vice president, said, “I didn’t like how separately the current student government was functioning, but you can’t blame them it’s hard to address or even hear the wants of everyone in your graduating class. I also feel like many times they don’t understand certain situations and wants. I want to strive to hear the needs and be the voice of my graduating class.”

After attending the school, many candidates understand the imperfections of the school and have their own ideas on how to change the school for the better.

“For the past three years in Midwood, I’ve seen some roaches or rats roaming around Midwood and I want to advocate for a cleaner environment for all Midwood students by getting more garbage cans in order to help with their studies and create a more comfortable atmosphere to work in,” said Xiumei Wu ’19, a candidate for senior vice president.

According to Herve Tallyrand ’21, a candidate for sophomore president, Midwood offers a lot of programs and opportunities that students don’t get to hear about which decreases their experiences at Midwood.

The candidates understand the workload accompanying their positions if they are elected and are ready to take on the challenge. 

“I’m excited, I’m driven, if elected I’d be happy to take on this responsibility. However the position of Mayor is important and hard, the job isn’t done alone. I’d be holding monthly meetings with other student officers as well as anyone outside of the student body government who display their best interests towards the school,” said Tanisa Rahman ’20, a candidate for mayor.

Many of them are already prepared to take on the job because of their usual school habits that help them stay organized and ready for personal events.

“Next year is going to be the least amount of classes, so I will have more time than ever before in high school. I’m a very organized person, I like to make lists, I have reminders on my phone for due dates. It depends on what  it is I’m planning,” said Harutyan ’19.

Although the candidates know their competition, they also never lose sight of what’s important which is that they are all a part of Midwood. 

“Nothing inspires me more than to see fellow students participating in making their school. In the end, no matter who wins, I think that each candidate has their own perspective on things, it’s just up to our peers to decide who will help them take their next step forward,” said Li ’20.