In preparation for Student Council's 2009-10 executive officer election on Monday, the OG is publishing the bios of all the candidates. The election will take place until lunch in the kitchen. Voting is open to all current subfreshman through juniors. Bios were also sent out in a schoolwide e-mail today by current executive secretary-treasurer Natsuki Nakamura. Please note that all bios are published just as they were sent in, with no editing.

CANDIDATES FOR EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT

Rachel Harmon (Class of 2010)
Hey I'm Rachel and hopefully you have a general idea of who I am already. I have served as student council representative my subbie, sophomore, and junior years in the position of class president and I would be pleased to serve the Uni High population as executive president next year. To get to the point, the reason that I think that you should vote for me is not because I can offer you extraordinary trips and prizes nor because Student Council is the only thing that I do, in fact I think that you should vote for me for nearly the opposite reason. I am a compotent student council member, I know how to get things done by setting deadlines, I know how to fill out the necessary forms, I know how to incorporate different student issues into the weekly student council meetings, I know how to run those meetings, and I admit that none of these are exceptional skills, but these are things that you learn from experience, which I have. These things can certainly be learned within a semester or two, but I think that having an executive president who spends half or more of their term learning would be inefficient at the very least. In addition to my experience, which I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about, I think the fact that I am involved in various efforts and groups around the school and our community serves to make me a valuable candidate for the executive president position. I am not, in any sense, centered around Student Council; it is not the only extracurricular that I am involved in, but I think that, rather than making me unable to contribute, it allows me to base my contributions in my experiences as a student, as an UFU member, as the student trying to help organize the Culture Fair, as someone who is trying to be forth an issue or event that they are passionate about or that they think will be fun, not as someone who is intoxicated with the idea of
being a leader. Furthmore, it assures us, as the student body, that I do not want to be executive president because I need something to put down on my college application or because it is the only thing that I do. I do Student Council because it allows me to help Uni, as our mission statement
says, promote academic excellence, encourage educational innovation, foster good citizenship, and of course have fun doing it.

Luke Karmazin (Class of 2012)
Student government is a big responsibility. It requires skill, bravery, insight, intelligence, and most of all, empathy. The student body presidents of recent memory have been completely out of touch with the common student, but there is a new hope. Luke Karmazin is a qualified, professional young man with extensive experience in TCB (Taking Care of Business), as well as GTD (Getting Things Done). So when you cast your vote, make sure that ballot says "Luke Karmazin."

Kathy Qiu (Class of 2012)
I would like to run for president on the executive Student Council. I think I'd be good for this position because I'm hard-working, organized, and multi-talented. For example, I won 1st place in the Algebra I division of the 2009 ICTM math contest, 2nd place in the 2009 Dialogue Writing Contest, 2nd place in the regional 2008 MathCounts contest, 1st place in the 2009 Gail & Harry Adams Young Artists Competition, 1st place in the 2003 Robert Savler Piano Contest, honorable mention in the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, 3rd place in the 2008 Young Baroque Artists Competition, 2nd place in the 2007 ISMTA state competition, and many, many, many more.

If I weren't organized and multi-talented, I couldn't have won all those awards, right?

CANDIDATES FOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Amy Ding (Class of 2010)
My name is Amy Ding and I am a junior in the graduating Class of 2010. I am confident that I can bring a lot to the Uni community as Executive Vice President. I would be able to bring new ideas to the mix, to help raise Uni to higher levels.

My main focus? What do YOU want?

As vice president, I will work my hardest to make sure that your voice is heard in Student Council. Movie nights? Ice skating? Pool party? (and much much — to the infinite power — more?) All these are already on my list to help make your Senior (or Junior, or Sophomore, or Freshman) year an explosive experience. But don't let me do all of the talking. As I said before …

What do YOU want?

While I haven't been Executive Vice President before (has anybody?), I want to help you explore new horizons with your life at Uni. As a new addition to Student Council, I would bring a completely different perspective to the mix, most importantly being your perspective and opinions. I hope that you will vote for me, Amy Ding, as your 2009-2010 Executive Vice President.

Linda Ly (Class of 2010)
I'm Linda Ly, and I am running for executive vice president. If elected, this would be my fifth year on Student Council, logging the vice presidential position since Subbie year. Every year I've represented my class, I've learned more and more of what it takes to be an efficient officer. I've helped plan successful dances, including a winter formal and prom, and attempting to raise class funds with various food sales. Student Council isn't just about giving up a Thursday lunch to go to a meeting;
it's about actually trying to improve things for the better with time, patience and effort. I promise to take all that I've learned from being an officer the last few years and apply that to the executive position. I want to make sure that I help my other two executive officers and the other class officers work together to make a difference at Uni.

CANDIDATES FOR EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER

Maritza Mestre (Class of 2010)
My name is Maritza Mestre and I am running for the office of executive secretary-treasurer. I have served as secretary-treasurer for my class since freshman year, giving me three years of experience in that position. Each year I have worked to organize fundraisers, dances, and other events for my class and have learned a great deal about the organization, patience, drive, and commitment it takes to act as secretary-treasurer. I am extremely organized and reliable and if elected I will put my best effort into being an active member of our student government and helping us reach new heights. I am prepared to take on the level of responsibility that comes with this office and know what it's like to hold roles of leadership. These past three years I have also been involved in the subbie buddy program as well as the oral history project, of which I am now an executive producer. I always devote myself entirely to whatever I take on and push to achieve as much as possible.

After observing the role past executive officers have played in our student council and school I would love to invest myself in that way and help better our school as much as I can. As executive secretary-treasurer it would be my responsibility to record and send out the minutes from each student council meeting. But the executive secretary-treasurer takes on so much more than that, responsibilities that usually go unnoticed. It is up to that person to help coordinate the events student council hosts, as well as any programs it supports, such as the recent Pasta for Pennies drive. The office of executive secretary-treasurer is a very involved one, and I am eager to give everything I have to fulfilling it to its greatest capacity.

Nick Zukoski (Class of 2010)
After living in Singapore for a year, I have seen much and learned from it. I believe that I can use this knowledge to enhance the student council to the utmost degree. Some haters are probably saying that "oh that silly Nick, he'll never do any work!" Think what you will think, but if elected I will put in the effort to bring about a successful and prosperous year. Your still hating, I can smell it from singapore. Not much I can do to prove you wrong now but trust me. Anyway, haters never prosper.

I thank you for your time and hope you will choose Zukoski and Z* for executive studco.