Written by: THE GREATS: Sarakshi Vhotkar, Misheeta Thakral, Pari Patel, and Nirvi Shah
Have you ever wondered why it is important to have administration or people in a higher position than you? Well, the following students in higher roles will take hold of significant responsibilities for both middle school and high school students. It is the responsibility of every member of the student council to take note and bring into consideration the issues and concerns of the students. Additionally, they need to assist in making reasonable solutions. In general, their presence will improve the school environment and support the administration in resolving student worries. The perspectives of the student council members and their predictions for the school’s future are clarified and explained in the interviews that follow.
Interview with Jelena Pamplona (Secretary)
Pari: How do you feel about winning?
Jelena: I’m actually pretty surprised about winning. One of my opponents Fatema Aly took a larger step and openly campaigned like going class to class and I thought that would have bolstered her votes. So seeing myself win was a rather big surprise.
Misheeta: What will you do to benefit our school?
Jelena: As a person who has been in this school and is talking to our equivalent of the press, I won’t answer this. I don’t want to make a promise that I don’t know I have the power to do. I can say that I want to improve the school and would be glad to do so with student input but I can’t make promises currently.
Sarakshi: Why did you decide to run in the student council elections?
Jelena: I wanted to slowly end my time at Infinity, I know I got two years left so this was a good time to start, with making some kind of mark within the school.
Pari: How are you prepared for this role?
Jelena: I have a lot of experience within this school as a student leader so I’m not scared to reach out and interact and perform my duty. I’ve also been an actual secretary for a government office as part of my volunteer work in my home country this past summer. I’ve been the backbone and support for our President and vice President for a few years now as one of their friends so I also know how to handle them and how they deal with issues.
Misheeta: What changes do you plan on making as your role of secretary?
Jelena: I want to change my role of secretary to being a more active person within the school. Again, I can’t make promises but I would like to make the student council, and thus myself, more of a presence within the school.
Sarakshi: What is the first action you will take as your role of secretary?
Jelena: I’m not in any actual position to make any decisions and act on anything, everything is signed through to the President. So no comment on that one I guess.
Pari: How are you going to take everybody’s opinions into consideration?
Jelena: I think if the student council ever needs to have opinions heard I’m likely going to be the person publishing the google form or going door to door for a survey. Though, I am open to having people come up to me with ideas. However, that doesn’t mean I will always bring it to the President. I can assure you that if you have an idea it will be considered by me but that doesn’t mean it will always make it to the president’s ear. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid to share though!
Misheeta: Do you have any prior experience in student council?
Jelena: Sadly, I don’t have any prior experience. I did most of my leadership work within clubs and outside of school.
Sarakshi: How would you seek help from your partners in the student council to achieve your goals?
Jelena: Well, this question entirely depends on what the goal is. Obviously, I can work with the upper counsel which consists of myself, the president, vice president, and the treasurer so that things get organized and get put into the recognition of the doctors. However, if it comes to things like hearing class opinions I will likely work directly with the representatives to get their classes opinions heard, and then move on to presenting it in front of the higher council.
Pari: What do you think are the biggest challenges of this role and how do you plan to overcome them?
Jelena: I think the hardest part of this role really doesn’t have anything to do with the actual work I’m doing but instead with the presents this rule has in the school, and then the student council for a while has not been very present with in the school’s sphere and hasn’t been doing many things within the school. This has placed a student council, mainly in the background of people’s minds, so I want to change that and I would have to overcome that by making the student council relevant somehow.
Interview with Camila Pena (Historian)
Pari: How do you feel about winning?
Camila: I feel confident and happy about the results, as they have motivated me to continue working on my photography skills.
Misheeta: What will you do to benefit our school?
Camila: I will help with events and enhance images by providing higher quality ones for both the senior class and yearbook.
Sarakshi: Why did you decide to run in the student council elections?
Camila: I decided to run to advance my photography skills, as well as get to know the school better before I graduate.
Pari: How are you prepared for this role?
Camila: I’ve already taken classes prior for photography at SVA, and had roles in the past regarding public speech and coordination.
Misheeta: What changes do you plan on making as your role of historian?
Camila: Improvement regarding school events.
Sarakshi: What is the first action you will take as your role of historian?
Camila: Take photos of the 12th grade escape room.
Pari: How are you going to take everybody’s opinions into consideration?
Camila: I listen and tend to respond to everyone, making sure that no one goes without a response.
Misheeta: Do you have any prior experience in student council?
Camila: Somewhat. I was an 8th grade rep during middle school.
Sarakshi: How would you seek help from your partners in the student council to achieve your goals?
Camila: We can collaborate and work together on ideas to form better school events, and enrich school life.
Misheeta: What do you think are the biggest challenges of this role and how do you plan to overcome them?
Camila: I don’t really see challenges with this role, being completely honest.
Interview with Aariz Zoheb (Middle School Class Representative)
Pari: How do you feel about winning the Student Council Elections for Class Representative?
Aariz: I feel great honestly, I’m glad that all of my efforts have finally been put into something, and I feel great about my win overall.
Misheeta: What would you do to benefit our school?
Aariz: I believe that the entire middle school has a voice, and that the middle school is the future of our school. I think that middle school needs proper representation.
Sarakshi: Why did you decide to run for Class Representative?
Aariz: I have seen some past mistakes, and my goal is to fix them.
Pari: How do you think you are prepared for this role?
Aariz: I am already a well confident person, and I will use my public speaking skills to make sure that everyone’s voices will be heard.
Sarakshi: What changes are you planning to make regarding your role as Class Representative?
Aariz: I plan to make the school a better place than it already is. I also plan on implementing the new visions of the school, and making sure that everyone has individual representation. In General, I hope to make middle school something better.
Sarakshi: What is the first action you are planning to take as Class Representative?
Aariz: First of all, I will talk with my other partner who is also a Class Representative, Dhruyan, and we will do something for the school, the middle school of course.
Pari: How do you plan on taking everyones opinions into consideration?
Aariz: I’m planning to do a number of things like surveys, to talk to them myself personally, and to see in general the trends in the school.
Misheeta: Do you have any prior experience in Student Council?
Aariz: I don’t have any prior experience in Student Council, but I’m the 8th Grade President currently, so I have some level of experience.
Sarakshi: How would you work together and seek help from your peers to achieve your goals?
Aariz: Well of course, I am not the most experienced person in the school; I will look forward to mentors, and people older than me for experience, and advice for what I can do.
Misheeta: What do you think are the biggest challenges of this role, and how do you plan to overcome them?
Aariz: Well I think a big challenge is that people might not want to speak out on what they would like for the school. I plan on combating that by listing the benefits of what could happen if you speak out, and making sure that all grades and not just my grade, are able to speak to me about whatever they want. I am a human, a middle schooler, an infinity institute student first and foremost. Thank You.
Interview with Dhruyan Padia (Middle School Class Representative)
Pari: How do you feel about winning the Student Council Elections for Class Representative?
Dhruyan: I am very pleased and proud of myself for winning this position. I’m committed to enhancing and guaranteeing safety at this school so that students come every day to learn with a positive mindset.
Misheeta: What would you do to benefit our school?
Dhruyan: I would make sure that everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions and thoughts in order to benefit the school. I will take into consideration every thought and interest that middle school students have, and I will do everything in my power to speak with administration to find a solution.
Sarakshi: Why did you decide to run for Class Representative?
Dhruyan: Not only would it provide me with lots of experience in leadership roles, but I also get the chance to support the students and increase their confidence.
Pari: How do you think you are prepared for this role?
Dhruyan: I have been the leader of many groups in the past. Most of my previous clubs, teams, etc. I have mainly taken leadership roles. Not only that, but logic and reasoning play a large role in leadership and I think that I am fully qualified to be a middle school representative.
Misheeta: What changes are you planning to make regarding your role as Class Representative?
Dhruyan: My goal is to improve the current state of the school. Also, I want to see the school’s new visions and goals put into action and guarantee that each person gets their ideas represented. However, there is no guarantee that I can make everything better, although I will do my best. If not creating a better school for all, I will always make sure to project any concerns, complaints, or suggestions to the student council.
Sarakshi: What is the first action you are planning to take as Class Representative?
Dhruyan: Talking to the students will help me understand what their concerns are with the school overall. This not only allows me to connect with the students, but also gives me time to create different plans and brainstorm ideas before our Student Council next meeting.
Pari: How do you plan on taking everyones opinions into consideration?
Dhruyan: I plan to listen to everyone’s thoughts during lunch, conduct surveys and polls to better understand their concerns, and take their ideas into consideration to improve the middle school environment.
Misheeta: Do you have any prior experience in Student Council?
Dhruyan: No, I’m trying out for the Student Council for the first time.
Sarakshi: How would you work together and seek help from your peers to achieve your goals?
Dhruyan: In order to accomplish my goals of assisting students, I would collaborate with Aariz, the other middle school student council member. Not only this, but most of the student council body should be willing to cooperate with or listen to any suggestions I have.
Misheeta: What do you think are the biggest challenges of this role, and how do you plan to overcome them?
Dhruyan: One of the most difficult tasks in this position is balancing the expectations of the students. My approach would be to identify a reasonable solution for each of the problems and work on solving them all year long in order to get over these obstacles.
