April 27 marked the end of the 2018 Student Union (SU) General Election. After weeks of campaigning, candidates made their final points at the SU Primary Election, which took place on Thursday, April 12. Townsend Harris students had the chance to cast their ballots on April 26. The next day, an email was sent by Ms. Fee to the students, revealing the new members of the Student Union, who are now tasked with representing the THHS student body and their concerns.
The SU executive board for 2018-2019: junior Salima Ali as SU President, junior Michelle Lee as Vice President, junior Xuan Lin as Treasurer, junior Pooja Suganthan as Secretary, sophomore Ava Nabatkhoran as Public Relations, junior Brenden Picioane as Club Liaison, junior Christopher Thomas as Senior SLT, sophomore Annie (Yue Hua) Lin as Junior SLT, junior Aresha Parjohn as Senior BSAC, sophomore Hisham Issak as Junior BSAC, junior Alexandra Rosca as Senior Class President, sophomore Annlin Su as Junior Class President, and freshman Sharon Li as Freshman-Sophomore Class President.
Each member has their individual plans for next year. SU President-elect Salima Ali explained that her main goal is “to ensure that the collateral schedule is followed in order to prevent students from being overwhelmed,” as well as “[focus on] improving the communication within our school community.” Annlin has a similar objective and greatly believes that “it is really important for students to be able to talk with their teachers if they have any issues regarding the school work if their well-being is harmed.” Like Annlin, many of the candidates focused on the mental health of Townsend Harris students throughout their campaign.
Despite their big plans for next year, none of the board overlooked the limitations that may be placed on them. They all accepted that they will face challenges and choose to focus on trying their best to complete the task at hand to the best of their ability. “Even if I cannot achieve these goals, I am going to place great emphasis on taking some weight off of the backs of club presidents,” said junior Brenden Picioane, Club Liaison-elect.
Hisham Issak, the Junior BSAC-elect, agreed with Brenden’s statement, saying, “There is obviously still a chance that I won’t meet my goals… However, I’m okay with that. I’ll be running for Senior BSAC next year as well, so then I’ll know exactly how I can reach my goals.”
It is no secret that the student government needs to work together to meet the demands of the students. “Salima and I are like peanut butter and jelly,” SU Vice President-elect Michelle Lee explained. “We get along so well and both of us have a similar vision for the future SU.” Salima similarly stated that “many of the candidates have mentioned great ideas for next year and will work towards having their ideas implemented as well.”
Together, the SU strives to create a supportive environment for the student body to thrive in. Salima also asserted that they “genuinely love Townsend and it’s [their] love for Townsend that motivates [them] to work towards improving our school.”
