Vandy 2024 politics: Candidate pitches

Aisha Rashid, Editor

Sophomore class president:

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Amelia Galian – “I’m in the class of 2026 and I am so excited to be your class president again. I am a part of the band program here at VHS and in track and field. I want to continue my goals from last year: finding common problems on campus and reliable/efficient ways to solve them, as well as voice our class opinions and concerns. I also want to create a safe, comfortable and fun environment for our class. So vote for me and Isabella for the best school year of your life!!!”

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Caleb Luong – “I’m so excited for the opportunity to run for sophomore class president this year. As class president, I hope to represent the voice of my class to make next year a great and fun experience.”

 

Sophomore vice president:

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Isabella Yang – “I am excited to be in Student Council again next year and hopefully your student body vice president. I am currently the freshman class vice president of Student Council, a part of HOSA, and involved in Relay for Life. As we’ve almost completed our first year of high school, I hope to represent our class again through every decision and make the 3 more years of high school we have memorable!”

 

 

 

Junior class president:

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Joe Geraci – “I am very excited to be running to represent our great school. As president I plan to give every student a voice and encourage everyone to get involved in activities going on around campus. I’m excited to run fun events that promote school spirit and fundraisers for great causes. I can’t wait to meet new people and to be able to create a positive change in Vandegrift.”

 

Junior class vice president: 

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Eva Daniels – “The opportunity to represent Vandergrift juniors next year in the role of vice president is one I shall not take lightly if elected. I can make a promise of my undivided attention and I will build on the great work already started by previous elected bodies to connect more students to each other, creating a stronger community and a Vandegrift High School that we can all be proud of. ”

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Michelle Kim – “I cannot wait to be your vice president next year! I am part of many clubs including Key Club, Project Stemplified, Connect HER, HOSA, Writer’s Guild and the Vandegrift High School Band and Vision. To have a successful and exciting junior year, my job as class vice president would be to ensure that every student has access to clubs and also understanding everyone’s needs so that if anyone needs help on anything, I will be there to help them.”

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Sadie Heidger – “I am running for 2025 junior class vice president. I am currently a FCA leader and have applied for PALs. I also play volleyball and basketball for the school. I am looking forward to not only helping uplift our school, but adding some fun while doing that. I plan on helping not only our class president, but others included in Student Council to make sure our year runs smoothly.”

 

 

 

Senior class president:

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Aashir Khawaja – “It’s super exciting to be considered for the position of senior class president for the class of 2024 next year! With a school like Vandegrift that’s this big and successful, there’s a lot of great things always going on. However, being part of clubs or organizations won’t help me create as much of a change as being your class president. I want everyone to be recognized for their hard work, no matter their field of success. I can’t wait to run and work with each and every one of you!”

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Maya bustami – “I am running to be your senior class president for the 2023-2024 school year due to my unmatched passion, enthusiasm, and concern for the well-being of our community. Currently, I am the junior class president of Student Council, junior class representative for Key Club, involved in NHS, Relay for Life, and am eager to continue to be at the class’s disposal. Time has moved indescribably fast, and as we near our final year of high school together, I promise to make this time as unforgettable as possible!”

 

 

Senior class vice president:

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Daniella Pohl – “I cannot wait to be your student body vice president next year. I am a member of PALs as well as the track team. I plan to make our Student Council stronger by encouraging students at Vandegrift to come together and build up a strong community, as well as being more involved to promote the best high school experience for all.”

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Ethan Sarwar – “This past year as class vice president, I learned a lot – socially and ethically. Being a school leader has allowed me to voice and act upon the many concerns of those in my grade, especially those who feel under represented at VHS. So by linking my extroverted personality with my ability to make connections, I plan to continue to be the friend and leader which my grade can always reach out and look up to. As a friend to students in theatre, football, band, cheer and many more organizations, I have been able to form bonds with my grade which I’ll remember forever…but for the time being, I plan to strengthen and form friendships for one last year. Senior year.”

 

Senior class treasurer:

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Gage Gruett – “I am incredibly excited to run as your senior class treasurer next year! As the current staff appreciation director, I have consistently worked to deliver notes, implement new point opportunities, and overall increase staff-student interconnectedness. I hope that with this experience, I can translate my ideas into providing a voice for my student body and ensure that I handle all the pragmatics so that you can simply get back to enjoying your club!”

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Inaaya Momin – “I hope to be your senior class treasurer for the 2023-2024 school year! I have grown a passion for student council through the various committees and events that I helped plan. As senior class treasurer, I will ensure that senior year is the best it can be by planning fun senior events and offering senior t-shirts to all. Thank you and go vipers!”

 

Senior class secretary:

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Kayla Crowe – “I am extremely excited to be running for the position of senior class secretary to make next year a memorable one! I believe that being an officer comes with great responsibilities, but not without challenges. I want to work alongside my peers to bring Student Council members together to help out the community and also voice your opinions too!”

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Rebecca Tang – “I’m super excited to run for your senior class secretary next year! As the current director of community service, I have experience in reaching out to not only the student body, but also the wider community to facilitate service and involvement. This, along with my experience as a HOSA officer, will help me be able to connect our class and provide representation for your voices in the wider school community. Together, we can make senior year a great one!”

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Zoya Manashia – “I am so grateful to be considered for the position of senior class secretary next year! Being an officer in Student Council for the past three years, I feel my experience will improve our council and bring more attention to the voice of our members!”

 

 

 

 

Senior class historian:

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Alex Song – “I’ve always been 110% dedicated to Student Council, from being able to serve on Round Table to attending the District 18 TASC Conference this past year in Kyle, Texas! With my previous leadership experience this year as your TASC director, I believe that I want to up my game for my class next year as a senior class historian. I want to ensure each and every senior next year that I am ready to succeed in this role, and make sure that every minor to major aspect of our senior year is captured and taken into account! Thank you for considering me! :)”

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Rylie Lockerman – “I’m so excited for the opportunity to be the class of 2024 historian. In this role, I will collaborate with the other class officers to not only make our final year in high school a successful one, but a memorable one. I will bring my skills of organization, flexibility, communication, and more to fulfill the responsibilities of this position. So far, I have participated in the Communications committee with Student Council, National English Honor society, Drama Club and am currently on a committee for Relay For Life.”

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Vya Sinha – “I believe that I should be elected since I’ve been a class officer before and I really enjoyed it. These past few years I’ve worked hard to improve Student Council and the school as a whole by truly caring about the students’ voices. Senior year is a big year, and I would love the opportunity to represent my class again and to create exciting memories for our last year of high school.”