On Friday, Aug. 30th, the class of 2028 filled the gym to listen to their peers running for student council and vote for their future leadership class. With 101 students running, only 31 were elected for council with one president. 

Senior Staff and Parent Liaison Leyah Eagar believes that being on council leads to new opportunities that make the freshman year experience less stressful. 

¨Being a freshman means this is your first exposure to a larger environment,¨ Eagar said. ¨You can find yourself through finding others, and through council, you can meet different groups, clubs and societies here on campus.¨

Freshman Class President Tiffanny Chan describes meeting and interacting with new people as a rewarding experience. 

¨On the pro side, it allowed me to connect with many of my classmates and make many new friends,¨ Chan said. ¨It was also super exciting to campaign, share my ideas, and see the support from my peers.¨

Many students found the speech time limit restrictive and felt that a lot of time had to be devoted to making their posters and campaign videos.

¨One of the downsides of running for council was how time-consuming it took to make the posters just over a weekend,¨ freshman Council Member Cara Liao said. ¨Something I struggled with most when running was making sure my speech was memorable, within the time limit, and well-received by the students.¨

One of Chan’s many ideas for further unifying her grade is to hold more class events. 

¨I plan to organize events that bring our class closer together, like social events that everyone can enjoy,¨ Chan said. ¨I hope to also introduce more opportunities for student involvement.¨

Overall, the candidates’ experience was rewarding and gave them a sense of belonging as they entered their new chapter at UHS. It also allowed students to learn about their peers with whom they will spend the next four years.