It’s that time of year again-- time for elections! If you’re unaware of the people running for office, or torn on who to vote for, here are the candidates and why they think you should vote for them.
All candidates were asked the same three questions:
- Which position are you running for?
- Why did you choose this position?
- What differentiates you from the other candidates?
- Noor Khurram, who is running for president, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Claude Cedrina Missamou is running for president because she doesn’t] know much about the other candidates but [she thinks] what separates [her] from them is [her] experience. [She] was class president at [her] middle school so [she has] a pretty good idea of what [her] job would be. [She’s] running for this position because [she has] a lot of good ideas for fundraisers and [she knows] that if elected [she] could raise a lot of money for [her] class. A lot of people at Malden High School are not in a position to pay $300 for prom (not counting their outfits) or $80 for yearbooks and [she thinks] that these are things that everyone should be able to have. [Her] goal would be to lower both of these prices.
- Kevin Ochoa, who is running for president, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Abhishek Rana is] running for president because [he wants] to make a difference for the class of ‘19 and try to make [his] peers’ high school experience as memorable as possible… [He considers himself] to be different from other candidates because [he feels] like [he is] more equipped of being a leader and representing them.”
- Kevin Sathapornchaisit, who is running for president, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Gustavo Silva wants] to feel involved and make [his] classmates feel involved in what they do. [He feels] as if the students need to incorporate themselves into making prom and other upcoming activities to make them great. Of course [himself] and all the other class officers will be making ideas but it’s really the students who make it great and [he] would like to achieve that goal…”
- “[Angela Tejada-Soliz] decided to run for President because [she loves] being involved with [her] class. [She is] excited to be able to plan and organize with the other officers all of [their] fundraisers, class events, and Junior Varieties and everything else that will lead up to [their] Senior Prom… [She thinks] that [she] would be a great president because [she has] great ideas for fundraising. [She is] very well organized and driven. [She wants] the best in everything [she does] and would do for [her] class as well. [She] would be one hundred percent committed in making sure [her] class has a good time for the next four years… What differentiates [her] from other candidates is that [she has] very high standards for [herself] and in everything [she does]. [She has] managed to maintain a high honor roll this entire year as well as making two varsity sports. [She works her] hardest in all aspects of [her] life and [she] would do that as a president as well.”
- Reid Kankel and Jennifer Crespo are campaigning as partners, Kankel as President and Crespo as Vice. When interviewed, Crespo answered for the both of the candidates. “[They] want to make the class of 2019 the best that it can be using [their] social skills to reach out to fellow peers and using what [the class gives them] as ideas to move forward with, incorporating [their] own twist to it… [Kankel and Crespo] have been great friends since elementary school. [They] have great chemistry working together. Other candidates may not be able to connect as well with the Vice. [They] have such determination and won’t allow this election to get the best of [them].”
- “[Jesaias Benitez decided to run for Vice President] because [he] thought it was good enough to get [him] involved with the class of 2019… what differentiates [him] from the other candidates would be that [he has] perseverance and [is] able to work with others.”
- Helen Eshetu, who is running for Vice President, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Joanne Ho is] running for Vice President and [she] chose it because [she] didn’t want to assume the role of president because [she has] so many sports and clubs that can conflict with the huge responsibility of president. [She] also just [wants] to help [her] class, especially getting ready for prom even though it’s early because [she wants] the best four years possible here at MHS.”
- “[Michayla Moody] decided to run for office because [she] always thought it would be great to be a part of directly making the high school experience great for [her] and [her] peers. [She] chose to run for Vice because [she feels] as though it’s an important position to hold (as are all of the other positions) and [she thinks she] can handle it, and hopefully can run for president of [her] class in the future… [She feels] as though [she’d] be the best choice as Vice because [she has] a lot of ideas for [her] class, and [she is] able to work collaboratively with [her] peers which [she finds] very important. [She thinks] what really differentiates [her] is that [she’s] always had a lot of drive, and even though it’s just the student government, [she’d] still take it as seriously as it needs to be taken in order to get things done.”
- “[Kevin Phan chose to run for Vice President] because [he] wanted a position that [he] was comfortable with, and [he] wanted a position where [he] can be most help in… [He feels] that there is not much difference in all the candidates, that every candidate’s goal is to raise money, and make [the class’] four years in high school as fun as possible.”
- Sebastian Romani Mendoza, who is running for Vice President, could not be reached for comment.
- Michelle Nie, who is running for treasurer, could not be reached for comment.
- Julia Pacheco, who is running for treasurer, could not be reached for comment.
- Terell Pesaturo, who is running for treasurer, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Francesca Reyes is running for treasurer] because [she has] always been good with numbers, and [she wants] to be a part of the class of 2019 and [she thinks] this would be the best way [she] could help. [She is] hardworking and very organized. [She is] willing to put in as much time and effort as needed. [She’s] never been one to back down from a problem.”
- “[Agatha Silva is running for treasurer because she handles] money well and [she’s] really good with math so [she] thought it was the best position for [her]. [What differentiates Silva from the other candidates is that she wants] this position really badly and [she wants] to make a difference in [her] class because [she wants their] senior year to be good and not stressful because [she’s] had a lot of experience with handling money and [she] would know how and what to spend the money on correctly.”
- “[Salma Bezzat is running for secretary because she’s] aspired to be an officer, and the secretary job looked like one that would be suitable for [her] skills… [She has] had many leadership skills like being captain for the JV basketball team, student conductor of the middle school band, etc. [She’s] also very diplomatic and [gets] along with everyone, a good sense of humor, and [she doesn’t] like wasting time. [She knows] that [she is] capable of what needs to be done, and [she wants] the best for [her] class. So even if [she doesn’t] win, [she’d] still want to be involved in [her] class and make it a good 4 years.
- Alyne Connick, who is running for secretary, could not be reached for comment.
- Taylor Dill “[chose to run for] secretary because [she] felt like it was something new and fit [her]. [She is] very responsible and organized. [She knows] that sometimes people’s voices aren’t heard and [she wants] to change that. [She wants] everyone’s ideas to be written down so this way everyone has a say in [the class’] decision. [She cares] about people and that they can make a difference. The student council isn’t the one who makes all of the decisions and holds power. Organization is key to this position and if you ask anyone [she is] really organized.”
- Birukti Tsige, who is running for secretary, could not be reached for comment.
- Melody Wong, who is running for secretary, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Ari Cohen is running for historian because he] thought [he] would be a great class officer. When [he] heard what a historian was [he] knew it was the position for [him]. Although it may not seem like it, [he likes] taking pictures. [He] may not have an iPhone or a $1000 camera, but [he is] unique and [he has] school spirit… [he is] not afraid to say what’s on [his] mind.”
- “[Vivian Dang is running for historian because she’s] always loved photography and [she wants] to make these years memorable through pictures… [She doesn’t] know the other candidates all that well but [she does] know that photography is an art, and when [one is] placing art out there for others, [one has] to let them know what message is being sent. [Everyone has] different opinions. So [she guesses] in this case when [she], or another person take the same photo, [she’s] sure that both pictures say different stories.”
- Felix Li, who is running for historian, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Dijana Masic is running for historian because she’s] all about capturing life’s moments and making sure that the memories we create are documented so we can go back and reminisce. [She thinks] this is the perfect opportunity for [her] to do something that [she loves], which is taking pictures, while at the same time making the Class of 2019 happy by capturing and recording [the class’] events… [She believes she has] a stronger passion for recording [the class’] memories and [she gets] really excited when [she is] taking pictures because [she knows] that [she] will make someone else happy. [She is] also very responsible so [she] will make sure that [she is] there at all of the events, documenting all of them.”
- Vincent Truong, who is running for historian, could not be reached for comment.
- Mei Mei Zhang, who is running for historian, could not be reached for comment.
- Sammy Lee, who is running for social media coordinator, could not be reached for comment.
- “[Leticia Sidney is running for social media coordinator because she] just wanted to be more involved with [her] new classmates and get to know them better, it’s a chance to contribute some of [her] thoughts and ideas to [the class’] events! Social media coordinator sounded pretty cool too, and [she] wanted to run for something different but still fun… Everyone obviously thinkg very differently and has different ideas, and that’s the best part about these elections: you get to see what [the other officers and students] want to make of [their] time here at Malden High. [She likes] to think outside the box, things that will get people laughing, moving , and having fun. So, yeah, [she thinks] it’s definitely [her] thought process and [her] ideas that differentiate [her] from [her] other candidates.”
- "[Sydney Stumpf is running for social media coordinator because she is] most comfortable with social media and would enjoy running [the class'] accounts... [She doesn't] know about the other candidates, but [she is] fully motivated and ready to attend all of the meetings and run these social media accounts whenever."
- Sydney MacDonald, who is running for volunteer coordinator, could not be reached for comment.
All freshmen elections will take place March 10 in all freshmen homerooms.
