Last spring, the Student Union held its general election for the upcoming school year. The debate took place on May 7 and elections were held the following day. After the two candidates for SU president worked hard to promote their campaigns by placing posters around the school and sharing content on Instagram, former Club Liaison Alex Yauri emerged victorious.
SU Vice President Anastasia Gonidelis was elected alongside Alex. Alex said that he and Anastasia are prepared for their respective jobs, given their past experience with the SU.
“Thanks to our peers, we were elected to be executive members last year, which allowed us to learn how to manage, organize, and initiate school events,” he told The Classic.
The campaign highlighted his plans for the Student Union, which include improving communication among the board, revitalizing current SU events to promote engagement, advocating for more clubs and schoolwide events to gain more attention and funding for clubs, as well as establishing a club credit system.
Anastasia also shared her plans for the coming school year.
“A big thing we want to implement this year is more SU events in collaboration with other clubs,” Anastasia said. “We hope that this will obtain greater interest for a variety of clubs while also providing the students with enjoyable events.”
Chief of Student Activities Jaime Baranoff said that she is confident in Alex’s abilities based on his work as Club Liaison. “Alex has done a really good job as a Club Liaison and that’s a really huge job to manage… like 70+ clubs,” she said. “His communication skills are great and he works really hard. He does it quietly without any drama and he’s very dependable. We can trust him to do big jobs and manage lots of people and do it in a way that makes him pleasant to be around and work with.”
Junior Jenna Abdelhamid discussed her experience working with Alex on the board. “As one of the former Executives-At-Large I was tasked with helping Alex with his many duties in his role, and the type of work culture he creates is one of great organizing and communication,” she said. “Not only is he very approachable in asking questions and for help, but his dedication towards his work constantly motivates me to be a better SU member.”
Current Club Liaison Elvis Chan said that believes Alex and Anastasia will be strong partners.
“I believe Alex and Anastasia are ideally suited for their roles,” he said. “Based on our work together last year, it’s clear they complement each other well. Their strengths and weaknesses balance out, with each one covering for the other’s areas of improvement.”
Sophomore Maggie Liu said, “I voted for Alex Yauri for [SU] President because I felt he did a really good job highlighting his leadership skills. Since he has done a wonderful job as the current Club Liaison, I believe he would do great as President. His campaign demonstrated how passionate he is about the SU.”
Agreeing with Maggie, sophomore Hiba Malik said, “I thought his debate was executed well, and I liked his goals and what he would do if he became [President].”
Senior Vee Shupty said, “A primary reason as to why I voted for Alex and Anastasia was because of their previous involvement in the SU. My junior year, Alex was Club Liaison, and as a club president, he was a peer I could turn to with any concerns or questions about club matters. He was always there when I needed something, and a reliable leader overall. I had complete confidence that he would succeed in a higher role, such as SU President.”
