As the new school year begins, all students who are eligible to be a part of the SISC Student Council are racing to win the people’s hearts. From dancing in the Monarch’s Park to greeting potential voters in the morning, the candidates of the 2023 Elections have been hard at work throughout the campaign season. Head-to-head in this year’s elections are two major parties: the BMOre Party and the Unfolding New Opportunities (UNO) Party. Beyond their platform and proposals, each party’s candidates are individuals with their own values and beliefs as to why they should lead.
Each and every role of the Student Council is crucial for the completion of the body, but there are four positions that lead the entire student body beyond level representation: the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Known collectively as the Big Four, they are the chief officers that ensure the successful release of the Council’s projects.
There are eight contenders for the Big Four: the BMOre Party has Una Villano running for president, Min Young “Charis” Kim as vice president, Isabela “Sab” Castillo as secretary, and Sihyun “Sisi” Park running for treasurer; the UNO Party has Minami “Nami” Oikawa running for president, Matthew Mariano as vice president, Dahye Oh as secretary, and Juliana Tan running for treasurer.
The BMOre Party “Always do the right thing,” is the one phrase that Una, BMOre’s presidentiable, lives by. She continued to say that her main value is to spread happy, positive vibes toward the student body while also maintaining order throughout the SISC community.
Alongside her, Charis emphasized that what makes her worthy of the vice presidential role is that she knows how to set her priorities right. She said, “Being part of the student council requires a great amount of effort and time. It is important to set your priorities right so that you [can] hear out and listen to the student body’s concerns as well as well-being.”
“Communication is the most important value to know when you are a part of the Student Council,” said Sab, BMOre’s candidate for secretary. She mentioned that with communication, you get to satisfy the needs of what the students offer. The values that Sab said she has to offer are patience and openness with the school community as well as party members.
Sisi has been part of the Student Council for over three years alongside holding leadership positions throughout high school, and she stated that her long array of leadership roles is what qualifies her to be the next treasurer. She explained, “I run because the student body trusts me to do so and I trust them in the same way. I simply want to work with more people and connect. I want people to grow the same way I learned to.” According to the BMOre Party, they run to get things done. They want people to know that regardless of where they came from, who they are, and who they are now they can always outgrow that. As underscored by Sisi, “That's what being a student is about after all: learning to live a little and learning to know who we are as people. That's why we are BMOre.”
The UNO Party “I certainly believe that everybody has the qualities to be a leader. It’s a matter of how a person wants to use those qualities to create, change, and inspire others to become leaders.” This was what Nami, the presidentiable of UNO, emphasized. She wanted to highlight four values that make her a candidate worthy of leading: accountability, integrity, passion, and vision. Nami strengthens these values through the challenges she faces whenever an opportunity to lead arises. Her vice presidentiable, Matthew, said that passion and dedication are what make him a candidate worthy of leading on top of being his fifth year as a student leader in Southville. He explained, “I simply believe that not all leaders embody the willingness to make sacrifices and go the extra mile in order to achieve the difference they are aiming for and with these qualities of mine, I know I will be the right person for this position.”
“The value of motivation and confidence makes me worthy of leading since it contributes to being responsible in my duty and never being hesitant to challenge myself,” remarked UNO’s secretary Dahye. She believes that she is a proactive person who works in diverse activities that are handled in the school. With experience in club presidency and volunteerism in school, she was able to learn how to manage herself and guide others.
Juliana, UNO’s treasurer candidate, stated that she has four core values: confidence, accountability, respect, and transparency. “I’m someone who is not only confident enough to try new things, fail, and learn. Confidence also means that you are secure enough to hold yourself accountable with your wins and also when you make mistakes,” she explained. Juliana added that she strives to ensure that respect is a main factor while leading the student body. The UNO Party explained that they have proposals that are inclusive and diverse, and they can help strengthen the relationships between peers and students. “It covers different sectors of different issues in our institution, and hopefully, once it’s approved, we can create a lasting and impactful impact through friendships and relationships,” Nami concluded.
The 2023 Student Council Elections are set to happen on the morning of September 21, 2023. All Monarchs will ultimately decide on who their Big Four will be on that date, whether from BMOre or UNO.
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