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Vote Advita & Vihaan
As freshman Year president and vice president candidates, we promise to take reasonable ideas and turn them into meaningful changes, opportunities and events if elected!
Our Essays
Advita Rao
Class of 2030
11 August 2026
Freshman Class VP Essay
High school is one of those times in life that you’ll eventually look back on and remember for years to come. Your freshman year is the beginning of that experience, and it is a year you’ll want to look back on with good memories. High school comes with countless opportunities to get involved with your school and community, but making the most of those opportunities requires students to have a voice.
A good freshman president and vice president should be more than just recognizable names on a ballot. A good freshman president and vice president are two people who are good listeners, take action, are inclusive, responsible and reliable, and have the ability to make people want to participate in school activities and spirit. In other words, they actually want to know what students think instead of assuming they know what’s best, and they make their classmates feel heard. They take realistic ideas and turn them into actual events, changes and opportunities, based on what their classmates want. They don’t only represent their friends or the loudest students, instead they make an effort to understand different interests, personalities and needs. If they promise something, you can trust them to follow through. Being president and VP means people are trusting them with a responsibility, not just giving them titles. And finally, they bring school spirit and energy into activities and events, making people want to participate. These are the qualities we believe a freshman president and vice president should have, and these are the qualities we strive to bring as candidates.
For many of us, we might remember high school as some of the most critical and demanding years in our lives. Numerous people remember their high school years as being socially or academically stressful. Between extracurriculars, academics, friendships and relationships, college/career decision pressure and the other many responsibilities that come with high school, it can obviously feel overwhelming. That is why students need opportunities to step away from these pressures, and have opportunities to connect with and make memories with their school community which they will carry on for life. Activities and school events such as dances, spirit weeks, rallies and clubs give students something to look forward to and cultivate a sense of belonging in our school community. These experiences can help students feel more involved in their school and create the memories that make high school meaningful, beyond just academic stress. However, not every student enjoys the same activities, and that's why student voice matters. Some students may look forward to rallies and spirit weeks, while others may want more opportunities through clubs, sports, class events, or activities they have helped suggest themselves. A good president should understand that representing a class means representing more than just their closest friends or the loudest voices. It means listening to different interests, personalities, and needs and making an effort to create opportunities that allow everyone to feel included. We strive to be class presidents who do more than merely listening to suggestions. We want to take realistic ideas and turn them into meaningful changes, opportunities and events. High school comes with plenty of responsibility, but that does not mean we cannot balance it with fun, school spirit, and meaningful memories. By giving students a voice in the activities and experiences they want to see, we can make freshman year a time that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and remember.
We don’t want student voice student voice to just be a promise we make in our campaign; we want to start listening before we even have a title. Attached to all of our posters and flyers is a QR code that leads to a webpage with a suggestion box. Through this suggestion box, students can share ideas, concerns, or changes they would like to see during the upcoming school year. By hearing directly from our classmates, we can better understand what students actually want and prioritize ideas that can realistically be turned into events, opportunities, or changes. Although we haven’t been elected yet we are already taking action on one of the promises at the center of our campaign: making sure our class has a voice.
We don't want the student voice to be something we only talk about during an election. We want it to be something we practice throughout the entire school year. As your freshman president and vice president, we want every student to feel that their ideas are worth hearing, their concerns are worth considering, and their voice has a place in our class.
We believe that our experience in leadership has prepared us for this responsibility. Vihaan and I have been in leadership for several years. For me personally, I served on my elementary school’s student council in 4th and 5th grade, taking the role of vice president in 5th. Then in middle school, I was in the leadership class for both 7th and 8th grade, taking the role of public relations in 7th and secretary in 8th. My experience in leadership has shown me that being a true leader isn't just about a title, it's about being able to communicate effectively, collaborate and follow through. Being in leadership positions for so many years has taught me articulation skills (being able to express my ideas clearly and effectively), conflict resolution skills (handling conflicts fairly and respectfully). Leadership has also taught me how important teamwork is. Planning events and working with other students requires listening to different ideas, compromising when necessary, and making sure everyone has a role in reaching a common goal.
We only get one freshman year, and we want to make sure it is one that students can look back on with pride and good memories. We want to create a class where students feel heard, included, and excited to participate. Through our experience in leadership and our commitment to listening to our classmates, we believe we are prepared to take on the responsibility of representing our class. As your freshman president and vice president, we won't just be names on a ballot, we will be people you can come to with ideas, concerns, suggestions, and make sure you are heard. Let's make this freshman year one to remember ; vote advita and vihaan!
Vihaan Ailiani
Class of 2030
11 August 2026
Freshman Class President Essay
Freshman year is something that many students look forward to. It marks the long-awaited beginning of high school, and it’s naturally a year students will look back on for the rest of their lives. But making freshman year into those positive memories requires more than just showing up to class. It takes students having a say in high school experiences and having a community that makes everyone feel welcome and inclusive. Advita and I are excited to run as freshman president and vice president because we want to help create that community, where every student’s voice is heard.
The most effective leaders aren’t necessarily the ones with the loudest voices, but they are the ones who make their classmates feel comfortable and heard. A good leader doesn’t assume they know what’s best; instead, they take action on classmates’ ideas, stay responsible, maintain reliability, and have the ability to make people want to participate in school energy, school activities and school spirit. If a leader promise something, students should know they will follow through. But most importantly, the qualities we believe a leader should have is that they should represent all students, not just the ones they know. This is exactly what Advita and I strive to do for our freshman year.
For most people, high school is a time in life that is recalled as being academically and socially demanding. Between trying to balance academics, extracurriculars, friendships and the variety of other responsibilities that students have, high school can easily become overwhelming. That’s why it’s crucial that freshman students have a voice in the activities and events they want, to make high school more than just a place where students show up to class. School spirit weeks, dances, and clubs are all opportunities for students to connect with their community and look forward to something beyond academic stress. However, student voice matters because not everyone enjoys the same things. Some students look forward to rallies and sports events, while others prefer clubs or events they have helped suggest themselves. A good leader understands that their peers have different needs and personalities, and works to make sure everyone can feel included. By giving all students a voice in what they want their freshman year to look like, we can turn realistic ideas into meaningful events and opportunities. High school involves responsibility, but it should also involve fun and memories that last a long time.
We don’t believe “student voice” is a promise that should only start once we are elected. We want to start listening to our classmates now. That’s why we have included a QR code on our campaign posters and flyers, which leads to our webpage with a suggestion box. Any freshman student can use this suggestion box to share ideas, concerns, or changes they’d like to see. By starting this process before the election, Advita and I are already taking action on the center of our campaign: ensuring the student voice is heard. Even without a title, we are committed to prioritizing our classmates’ ideas.
Our goal as your freshman president and vice president is to make student voice something that continues through the entire school year. We want every student to know that their voice of place in our class, their ideas are worth hearing, and their concerns are worth considering.
Advita and I have both been in leadership for several years, which has given us the articulation and communication skills needed for this responsibility. For me personally, I have been in leadership for the past two years in middle school, and had been in my elementary student council for two years as well, serving as the president in 5th grade. These years in leadership have taught me how to articulate my ideas effectively, handle conflict respectfully, and lead with empathy. Leadership has taught me that the key to reaching a common goal is teamwork—listening to all ideas, compromising when it’s necessary, and following through.
We only have one freshman year, and we want to help make it a year that everyone can look back on with pride. We want to represent a class that feels included, heard, and excited to get involved. Through our experience in leadership and our commitment to listening to our classmates, we are prepared for this responsibility. As candidates, we are not just names on a ballot, but people that you can come to with concerns, ideas and suggestions. Let’s make this freshman year a memory to last—vote Advita and Vihaan!
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