On Friday Aug. 25th, the freshmen class kicked off the school year by electing their officers. Running for class president were Govind Sudan and Niya Bidin. The vice president candidates were Owen Hess, Chloe Shin and Shane Gatewood. Lastly, Katie Cochran, Allie Kang, Sophia Swain and Callista Imperial-Pham ran for class secretary.
In the week leading up to the elections, these candidates campaigned for their officership. Cochran, the newly-elected freshman secretary, chose a specific theme for her campaign: “I ended up going with the Eras tour theme because I really liked how hard-working Taylor Swift is and I’m just really passionate about her music because she’s got me through a lot.”
From posters to chalk drawings, candidates found unique ways to display their personalities. “I’m involved in film and TV and I’ve always had a dream of becoming an actress, so I want to go into things that will help me in the entertainment industry,” Cochran said, highlighting that in her campaign.
In recent years, social media has also become a popular campaigning strategy. Sudan reached out to his peers through platforms like Instagram, creating a separate account for his campaign. A basketball player himself, Sudan said “being on the court and trying to tell people what to do” has shaped him into a capable leader. He incorporated his passions into campaigning, similar to Cochran, and explained, “My theme was sports brands, like Nike, Adidas and Champion.” In addition to being on the basketball team, Sudan hopes to be involved on campus as part of WRTV in the future and has recently co-founded a club for hearing loss. “[As president] I will take into account what the students want and need,” he concluded.
Furthermore, the three candidates spread the word by creating relationships with all groups of students in their class. Involving himself in many communities around campus, Hess is part of cross country and hopes to join Science Olympiad as well as track in the future. He stressed that the key to his victory was respect and inclusivity: “I think that by trying to be nice to everyone who I meet and trying to make a positive impact on their lives, that’s how I won. And I think people really like when other people spread kindness.”
After the results came in Saturday morning, Sudan, Hess and Cochran were announced as officers for the 23-24 school year. Freshman Sofia Isabel Yuvienco voiced her hopes for a memorable year, full of spirit days and football games. “I know that Owen and Katie and Govind are super fun and they know what we want,” Yuvienco said.
Although Sudan and Hess were in ASB prior to the freshman elections, Cochran only joined after being elected for the secretary position. “I’m really excited to meet with people and represent our class. Everyone’s been so welcoming and supportive and I’m really excited to work with the other officers and meet new people,” she expressed.
With only three officer roles for freshmen compared to the usual four, the team must work together to utilize their individual strengths. Cochran explained, “I’m very dedicated to what I’m doing and very determined to do something when I’m passionate about it.” Sudan added, “I look forward to being a better leader and I feel like I can make a change.”
Cats, be on the lookout for Sudan, Hess and Cochran as they make their mark on high school leadership, and check out @wrclassof_27 on Instagram for information on upcoming events!
