By: Chidube Kalu
All of us have voted in an election for our Student Government. As we fill out that ballot at the end of the school year, many wonder about the inner workings of the Student Government. How do they make decisions? How much power do they really have? I interviewed Class of 2025 Co-President Arya Sharma and Secretary Brandee Apruzzese to learn more about their experience on the Student Government, and how it really works.
How did you decide to run for Student Government originally?
Arya: “I originally decided to run for Co-president because my brother is part of his Student Council (class of ‘23) and I thought it would be a fun, challenging, and good experience to have after seeing him and the responsibilities he had. I have a good friend, Kate Cognetti, who I knew I work well with, so we decided to run together and share the President role.”
Brandee: “I heard about it from a couple of friends of mine and we decided to run together. I thought the role of secretary would be best for me as we all decided what we role we each wanted to take on. I made posters and even an instagram page to announce I was running.”
What is the best part of being in the Student Government?
Arya: “The best part has been the creativity and joy. In our Student Government, everyone comes with different ideas and it’s easy for us to bounce ideas off one another. The members of our board have grown quite close together as friends, which makes our jobs a lot more fun and manageable because we enjoy what we’re doing together.”
Brandee: “The best part of being in Student Council is being able to collaborate with a bunch of different people and making friends because of it. I also love planning different events that we host.”
How has being in the Student Council improved you as a person?
Arya: “It’s taught me about responsibility and dealing with challenges. There will be times where certain members can’t attend meetings, or we can’t host a meet when we need to, and it’s important to find a solution to all the possible issues that might come up. When I first got my co-President role, everything was new to me and I knew I would have a lot of responsibility or pressure put on me, but over time it was easier to handle. I think as a person I’ve become more mature in the sense that I understand what needs to be done and how to do it.”
Brandee: “I think being in Student Council has honestly made me a more organized person and has helped me become a better planner, whether it’s for stuff in school or in my personal life.”
How does the Student Council usually make decisions on activities or events?
Arya: “When we have our meetings, we all give different thoughts and opinions on events that we think people would have a good time with and be beneficial to everyone. Once people give their ideas, we all collaborate on the logistics and agree together with the details of an event.”
Brandee: “Typically one person in our government will come up with an idea and we will all discuss the pros and cons of it. If we decide it’s a doable and profitable idea, we start working on it and deciding what needs to get done in order to make it happen.”
What duties are delegated to you?
Arya: “Being a co-President, there are many times where I have to lead the meetings. It’s important for me to make sure I’m being organized and responsible for our Student Council so that we can be effective and to make sure we’re doing our jobs properly. For me, this can include staying after school often to sell snacks or calling various places when we have an upcoming event.”
Brandee: “As secretary, I usually keep track of what’s discussed at each meeting and I take notes on important dates coming up. I also help plan events and get them started, and I stay after school to help with our cup sales. I do a lot of scheduling and organizational things.”
What other goals do you wish to accomplish in the Student Council in the future?
Arya: “I would like to get other inputs from people of our grade so that they know their ideas and opinions are being heard. I wish to make them happy and to have an enjoyable high school experience, so I’d like to hear what they want and make what they’d like to happen possible.”
Brandee: “Our biggest goal right now is to raise as much money as we can for our future proms. Not only that, but we hope to plan many fun events that the school can enjoy.”
What advice would you give to people who might try to run for the Student Council in the future?
Arya: “I would tell the person who might want to run to truly try and understand the commitment of being apart of Student Government. No one should be running just because of the title itself. It’s a rather demanding and requiring job and it has to be taken seriously because as an officer, you’re responsible for raising enough money for events (such as prom). If someone is thinking of running, they should know they need to be dedicated for this role.”
Brandee: “My advice for those who wish to run in the future is to put yourself out there and do it. Make posters, use social media to your advantage, have friends advocate for you, and just have fun. Even if you don’t get the position you ran for, you can always be a representative for Student Council. It’s a great experience and you can really have so many laughs while doing it. I highly recommend it.”