Junior Evelene Chao has been a key participant in the Student Union throughout her years at Townsend Harris High School. During her first two years, she served as an active senator, followed by her role as Junior SLT this past year. Now, she’s been elected Vice President for the 2025-2026 school year.
Evelene’s journey began in her freshman year, where she first joined SU as a senator.
“I’ve always had a big passion for being involved in the school,” Evelene said. “I think the best way to do that is through student government. I was a senator for my first two years, and then I became a Junior SLT this year. Now I’ll be serving as Vice President in the upcoming school year.”
Her time as Junior SLT gave her a backstage pass into how leadership operates at high levels, especially between students, teachers, and administrators. The JSLT position primarily involves attending monthly SLT meetings, where student representatives bring up concerns and communicate ideas directly to faculty and parents. In these meetings, it was Evelene’s responsibility to gather concerns from the junior grade leaders and relay them to the rest of the student union, ensuring that those issues were heard and addressed. “My role was to kind of bridge the gap between SU and the SLT,” Evelene explained. “The next step forward is to get closer to the student body, and I think the Vice President does just that.”
For Evelene, one of the most rewarding parts of being JSLT was seeing how student concerns could translate into real action.“My favorite part was definitely sitting in on the SLT meetings and realizing how much student voices actually matter,” she said. “It showed me that change really starts with listening and speaking up.”
While the Junior SLT role focused heavily on reporting and relaying issues from leadership meetings, Evelene is now stepping into a role that demands more direct leadership, project management, and advocacy. As Vice President, Evelene will help lead the SU’s initiatives, support the President, and serve as a key liaison between the student body and the Union. She’ll co-lead meetings, organize events, and help make executive decisions that shape school life.“It’s a big role,” Evelene said. “You’re not controlling things, but you’re taking leadership in what the school does. I’m nervous, but I’m also excited because I get to work with so many new people and make a real impact.”
Coordinator of Student Activities Jaime Baranoff said she has full confidence in Evelene’s ability to step into the new role. “Evelene’s calm, smart, level-headed, and extremely competent,” she said. “JSLT isn’t the biggest role, but it gave her the chance to work with both adults and students. She’s watched people like Anastasia and Alex lead before her, so she knows how things work and she’s ready.”
What sets Evelene apart, her peers say, is not only her experience but how she connects with others. “Evelene is a very understanding person and has great social skills,” said Natalie Tamma, Senate Chair for the SU. “She truly cares about making the school a better place. She’ll be great for students to approach with any concerns.”
Natalie said, “Every time she summarized the PTA meetings, she found ways to improve the school environment. Now, instead of just advocating for change, she’ll be making it with Jenna.”
Jenna Abdel-Hamid, is the newly elected SU President who will be working alongside Evelene next year. Evelene said that they have been longtime collaborators previously, “We’ve worked together during SING: she was dance director and I was vocal director. We have different things to offer, and we get our stuff done.”
Their dynamic will be key to next year’s vision. “Our main priority is to make the SU a reliable place for students,” Jenna said. “Evelene is a trusted figure in the school community. She understands what the student body needs, and her communication skills make her the perfect VP.”
Jordana Lo, another SU leader, echoes the sentiment. “Evelene is incredibly organized and collected. Her experience as JSLT has prepared her with the necessary skills to be a successful leader,” she said. “I’m excited to work with her in the upcoming year, her ability to problem-solve and team build will shine.”
Looking ahead, Evelene is focused on rebuilding student engagement, “I think one of our main goals is to get the student body more involved with the SU. Winter Carnival, for example, got canceled due to low participation. That’s something we want to improve.”
