New Student Government Gets Back to Business

The student government holds monthly meetings with the principal to discuss student initiatives. Photo: Continental Studios

By WILLIAM ZHANG, DAISY DENG, and SHAYNA GOLUBEV 

“Gooood morning, Hornets!” Fourth period has just begun and our student government is back, hard at work delivering the school news and keeping us up to date. 

Last June, Midwood’s students were able to vote for their representatives. Now that the school year has started, we can welcome some new faces and catch up with the familiar ones. 

For the 2023-2024 school year, we have Mayor Joanne Zhu ‘24, Senior President Sophia Lamdichi and Senior Vice President Aliye Gursoy, Junior President Raymond Chen and Junior Vice President Serena Li, and Sophomore President Carol Zhong and Sophomore Vice President Jasmina Abidova. Alongside them are Comptroller Cindy Li ‘24, Executive Secretary Elise Badmaev ‘24, and our Liaison Officer Briana Calin ‘24. 

This year’s election wasn’t like the others. To simplify things, the two leading vote-getters in each grade were given the respective president and vice president roles. 

One of new Mayor Zhu’s main goals this year is forging a strong connection between students and faculty, she said. She has started a newsletter for students to keep them updated on what the SGO has been up to and what their next moves are. 

“I had the pleasure of seeing school affairs from the views of a class representative and as comptroller since the beginning of my freshman year,” said Zhu. “Every year, I gain more valuable knowledge on what it means to be a community leader.” Zhu served as freshman vice president in 2020-2021 and as comptroller for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. 

New Comptroller Cindy Li found her position to be a good fit as she wants “to go to college majoring in something finance related.”

“With Joanne running  as mayor, being comptroller intrigued me, and with the experience I have, I believed I could do it well,” Li said.

Our Liaison Officer Briana Calin is one of the new faces entering student government this year. Unlike the other positions, Calin was appointed by the other members of the government. 

She was thrilled to hear the news. “I was excited for all the opportunities to come and so relieved that campaigning was over; that is no joke!” said Calin. 

As a liaison officer, Calin plays a major role in student activities. Recently, she organized a toy drive that raised over 400 toys for children with cancer. She also helped organize the school’s club fair. 

“I’m able to help clubs come up with new ideas for meetings, and organize the behind-the-scenes details regarding advisors, rooms, and all the paperwork aspects,” she said. 

We also have our individual class representatives, with many returning faces and a few new ones, who are responsible for voicing the student body’s concerns and requests. 

“Now that I am here for a third time, I can’t wait to make the changes and improvements I’ve been waiting to do,” said Junior Vice President Serena Li.

A new freshman president, Diyora Khidrova, and vice president, Constance Ng, were elected on October 18.

“The campaigning process was very stressful,” Khidrova said. “But the support of my friends and teachers was very helpful.”

Ng was pleasantly shocked by her win. “I was in the library, and I screamed when I found out the news,” she said.

The two were amongst a series of candidates who campaigned through speeches, videos, and social media. To qualify, the candidates had to answer nine questions on the responsibilities of student government, give a speech, and write an essay.

The new representatives were welcomed with open arms by the current team. “The freshman representatives are bright, driven students; they’re a great addition,” said Senior President Lamdichi. “I was really impressed with their ability to run a campaign while being new to the school at the same time.”

The freshman reps are working on multiple projects for their grade, including an upcoming trip to Six Flags in the spring. “We are also planning more Spirit Days,” said Ng.

Alongside the students are Mr. Lawrence Kolotkin, our COSA, and Principal Robert Quinlan. Mr. Kolotkin and Dr. Quinlan work together to provide the resources the government needs to carry out their goals. The student government holds bi-weekly meetings with Mr. Kolotkin and monthly meetings with Dr. Quinlan. During these meetings, the group discusses feedback from students, new ideas, and the representatives’ agendas. 

Dr. Quinlan encouraged the student leadership to “be out there, be visible, and have the pulse of the people.”

A successful student government means a successful student body, so let’s hope that this year’s team is able to achieve their goals and continue to make an impact on Midwood’s legacy.