Student Council Elections 2014
Candidates’ Statements
President:
Sahil AnejaI want to become a Student Council officer, specifically president, because I want to lead
a period of change. I think that most kids come in to student council thinking that they can get
something that helps to decorate their college applications, but few, if any, actually care about
creating real change and impacting the school and community in a positive way. This has
bothered me for years, and has driven me to the point of running myself so that I can employ my
own personal policy of taking action and making things happen for the school. I have spent my
whole life being an independent thinker and doing things differently, and I know I bring the right
attitude and mentality to this position. I am confident a plethora of beneficial things can happen if
I am elected student council president.
The main changes I look to implement are those that can have a real impact on peoples’
lives. That is, I want to improve the quality of students’ experiences in school while
simultaneously collecting money that can aid the community. For example, while the traditional
way of raising money is simply asking students to donate things, I want to revolutionize the
process by making money in different ways. My goal is to get students more involved by adding
more student-oriented fundraising activities (along the lines of our current basketball and
volleyball programs) and then in turn use the money to help the homeless and other less fortunate
people of our community. If elected president, I am fully dedicated to attaining this vision of
creating a better Edison High School and Edison community and I will not quit until I have
revolutionized both in an impactful and beneficial way.
Avanie KumarHey guys, my name is Avanie Kumar. Before I talk about what I want to run for, let me
start off by saying Student Council is my life. As an active dancer, I know what passion and
commitment means, and I know the Student Council is something that I am always more than
100% involved in. Time after time, from one event to the next, not only am I present during it,
but also involved with all the behind the scenes work. Ever since I was in elementary school,
Student Council has been something I have never ceased to be part of. My passion really took off
when I became president of Lincoln Elementary School in fifth grade. Then I moved to leave my
mark on Herbert Hoover Middle School as a council leader, doing various things like host a
Dodgeball for Charity event with my fellow leaders to raise money when the large tsunami hit
Japan. Now I'm at Edison High and even more involved with Student Council. Freshman and
Sophomore year I was privileged to hold the position of Class Vice President, and this year I
serve as the Junior Class President. But now I think it's time to move to the next step, General
Student Council president. It's time for me to fulfill that dream I made in elementary school, that
promise I made to myself that I will one day be president of my high school. It may sound cheesy
but it’s true. Student council is my life and I want to finish my high school with an experience
that will leave a lasting impact not only on myself, but also the school and community.
So what will I do if I get elected? How will I help improve the school and community?
Well, coming in with previous knowledge as to what being an officer means and what the
position entails has its benefits when trying to plan events for the next year. I know how high
schoolers these days respond to different ideas or activities, helping me achieve an ultimate goal
of raising school spirit. The students at Edison High really need to get more involved with the
school itself, and the Student Council needs to be there to help. We need to provide the kids with
fun activities or events that they will enjoy, not things that they will just ignore when they see 500
fliers hanging in the hallways. We need to get kids involved with the extracurricular activities at
Edison High as well, and one way I would do this is by getting the different clubs to team up for
events, not just have Student Council alone running the show. However, it’s not just about the
spirit, it also about the community. Student Council not only needs to collect money, it also needs
to give back. Through various fundraisers and even by just attending different community events,
we can help support the community that surrounds us with money and participation. I have big
plans in store for Edison High, and becoming President of Student Council is a great way for me
to show what I am capable of to make the school and community a better place.
Diana KwiatkowskiMy name is Diana Kwiatkowski, I’m a junior here at Edison High School where I enjoy
challenging myself with all honors and advanced placement classes. Along with the rigorous
courses I take, I participate in our school’s varsity cheerleading squad, and I also coach a
cheerleading team that consists of young girls that aspire to be like me one day. Coaching these
girls and cheering our football and basketball teams on at games has taught me to become a
superb leader. With my experience of being a leader, I would bring a fresh and new attitude to the
General Student Council, and to our school. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said; “To handle
yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” Throughout my time of being a leader,
I’ve developed a fond appreciation of helping others and guiding them to accomplish their goals.
I have a positive outlook on everything and I always try my hardest to succeed in my schoolwork
and all of the other activities I do. Since I enjoy helping others and being a leader, I figured that
running for President of the General Student Council would be a great fit for me.
As president, I would like to be involved in all aspects of our diverse school and I believe
that this position would allow me to do this. During my time at Edison High School I've always
looked up to how powerful the General Student Council’s influence on our school's activities and
spirit is and I believe that I would be able to carry out this reputation next year. Even though our
school’s spirit is highly admirable and has improved immensely throughout the time I’ve been
here, I’ve realized one thing. I’ve realized that there are many different social groups that
somewhat restrict students from participating in our school’s spirit. As president, I would like to
incorporate our events with activities that would satisfy the different groups in our school so that
our school could be more united. Also, I would like to continue our events and start new ones like
school dances, pep rallies for every sport season, and more volunteer events that help support our
town (such as events where students can give back to the community). Not only will students
enjoy participating in these events, but our Eagle Pride will be expressed to even more aspects of
our town.
Overall, my contribution as President in our General Student Council would be extremely
beneficial. With my leadership and our unified student body, our events will be more successful,
our community will be improved, and no one will be able to hide their Eagle Pride.
Destini PreislerI have always loved being involved in the school. I have been involved in student council
since 4th grade. I even ran for freshmen president and won in order to try and improve the school.
I love being involved. In fact, this week, I have done every single school spirit day. Monday, I
wore all green, Tuesday I wore a music shirt, Wednesday, I wore gold, Thursday I wore an
Eighties outfit (I went all out), and Friday I will wear a sports jersey. I love being involved in
clubs like National Honors Society, Spanish National Honors Society, Student Council, and other
clubs because they are good leadership clubs that look awesome on college application forms.
They also keep me involved with the community. I have always been a people person, so I love
working with other people who love bettering the community. If I were the student council
president, I would love holding meetings and hosting events. I am the type of girl who does not
feel shy in front of a crowd and will sing and dance in order to get everyone to have a good time.
I also know a lot of people since I do not belong to one “group” or “clique.” I have many friends
in all four grades and I usually have a way of bringing people together.
I have many ideas in order to improve the school and community. My biggest goal is to
unify the school once again because unfortunately, by the time we get to high school, everyone
forms their own exclusive groups and leave behind old friends. Besides having dodge ball for
charity or volleyball for charity, maybe we could have events with J.P Stevens. If we collaborate
with J.P’s student council, then maybe we could have students register teams for flag football
against J.P and one event could be held at Edison High so J.P would either get their own ride, or
we could have a bake sale in order to pitch in for a bus and then another event could be held at J.P
and we would drive over there or use the same bus idea. I also know that a lot of students are
upset with the fact that we only have a homecoming dance. I think EHS could really benefit from
a spring dance and a winter dance. Maybe even a fall dance as well, like a back to school dance to
get reacquainted with everyone. We could have bake sales to raise money and if teachers would
ever agree to this; in elementary school, every two months, students would pay $5 in order to pie
their teachers in the face. Usually the vice principal, one of the mean gym teachers, and a math
teacher would volunteer because they would raise the most money. We raised the most money the
year our principal volunteered. I have many more ideas like volunteering at the elderly homes and
at the animal shelter. I hope to share more of my ideas as student council president.
Nataly SuarezMy name is Nataly Suarez, and I am a student of Edison High School, I'd like to become
General President since I genuinly feel that I can help improve the school in many ways, not only
with my ideas, but from the students perspectives as well, since they have a say in what activities
could be planned for the future. I also know that I am right for the position of being President
because people say that I am very understanding, outgoing, creative, and kind and I truly believe
it. As president I am here to help and listen to make our Eagles nest better. I am able to represent
the school in a positive way through any meetings, events, fundraisers, and encouraging school
spirit that is communicated to students and staff. Also to the Board of Education if necessary. All
class representatives will be supported by the general officers in order to keep things flowing well
with new ideas and more opportunities to raise more money for each class. Any plan that has
been made would then be dispersed through an agenda that would be created by me as President.
I would like to have the opportunity to serve as General President of Edison High School, to give
it my best efforts in helping the school strive to become a better learning environment along with
more school spirit. It would be a privilege and honor for me to be able to represent Edison High
School, with hard work, dedication, and commitment.
As President, my job is to improve not only the school but the community as a whole.
The students in our school will be able to begin their design in the school then spread the word
out to the community of any new plan that may be successful for both the school and the
community in an affirmative way. I will do everything in my power to plan events that aren't just
cool and memorable but the ones that are actually meaningful experiences and will later benefit
every classes' trips, prom, graduation, and more. One of the events that can be enjoyable in
Edison can be like a Zumba fundraiser; to benefit from exercise and the money raised will be
given to the class who promoted it, and the rest for any charity in our community. A way that I
can help the community can be by putting up flyers in the hallways promoting community service
activities, like a Marathon in which they may need help with extra volunteers. Then those
students that signed up for it can be rewarded with a certain amount of hours, and that will not
only make our school look better for having students take the time to participate, it will also show
other people out there that the activity was great because of the people that went to help out.
Getting students involved in the community will open their eyes to world out there and teach
them how to communicate well with others. Ultimately, I don't simply want to have the title as
General President. Rather, Id like to be your representative, your voice, and your friend in order
to make the best of our school and community.
Vice President:
Tasnim BhuiyaConsidering the fact that I have actively been involved with both class and general
Student Council for the past two years, I think it is finally time for me to progress into an officer
position. After dedicating so much time to StuCo, I believe I have earned the eligibility to truly
run for a position and represent EHS at all times. As a current co-chair for the spirit committee, I
have been able to observe first hand, by helping at almost every event and co-chair meeting, how
much work and effort general StuCo really requires. In addition, among the many reasons why I
want to become an officer, I have been involved in the club long enough to be able to handle the
work and responsibilities that come with an officer position. I aspire to become the Vice President
for general Student Council and I know I can take on the duties because I’ve had prior
experiences assuming responsibilities similar to a Student Council VP in Student Council 2015
whenever an officer was absent.
Since nothing great can ever be achieved without enthusiasm, the very first thing I would
do as an officer is get a plethora of people to join Student Council and get more involved in
school events because through my involvement in orchestra, sports, and other school clubs, I have
become very social and have made connections with a variety of students. Thus, we could pool
more great ideas and expand school spirit; the more, the merrier. Even now, I use social networks
to inform people of spirit days and school events, but it’s not enough. In order to improve the
community, our school must improve its SPIRIT and unity in order to set good and positive
examples for the younger kids of the society and get them excited for high school. Also, we need
to start genuinely thanking the custodians and security guards more. Though it is true that we give
out presents to our teachers, it is essential that we do the same for the rest of the staff in order to
better express our gratitude for all their hard work. Increasingly, Student Council should host
more exciting fundraising events for the people of Edison, such as senior citizens prom or bingo
night. We can also use the money to aid community disasters, as well as national and
international ones. It is not just about giving back to our community; it is important to make an
impact around the world as well. In addition, we should definitely start supporting more local
businesses-- they could use the help and publicity. It is true that we have improved tremendously
with helping out the community and getting more involved in school; we just have to continue
being progressive. Essentially, I want to become a Student Council Officer because I want to help
our student body prosper as members of a school and truly enjoy their high school experience. By
having the legitimate authority, I am more likely to make those things happen along with other
officers and co-chairs. Lastly, being a part of student council has really been a pleasure and
honor. It has become such a great part of my life, and I would like to help the club flourish even
more. When I walk down the aisle for graduation, I want to have the satisfaction that I actually
did something positively effective for Edison and Edison High School.
Yash DaveThere are generally two types of people in the world, leaders, those who guide society
and followers, and those who abide to society. Nevertheless, all followers crave for a leader to
show them and guide them. That is why I want to be a Student Council Officer; it gives me the
opportunity to lead the school to a successful year. John Maxwell once said “Anyone can steer a
ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course” to show how being a leader is one who takes charge
and conducts the crowds, which illustrates why I aspire to be the Vice President for General
Student Council. It grants me the opportunity to make changes in the school and allows me to
head part of the student body.
One of my goals is to make significant difference in the community and people’s lives.
Currently I volunteer with kids that have autism spectrum disorders, many of whom attend our
very own school, teaching them simple tasks such as how to socialize with others and how to act
in social environments. Nevertheless, being Vice President of Student Council opens the door for
me to assist not only these kids but also everyone in our school. It allows me to help the student
body enjoy their years at EHS by giving me the power to get everyone involved and raise our
school spirit. Everyone in our school should radiate with eagle pride, and I am willing to endorse
events and activities to create that pride whether it be small tasks such as apparel sales or spirit
weeks to bigger activities like dodge ball for charity and even our very own Eagles Nest, the
students should be enjoying their time at EHS not agonizing the thought of being there.
In Layman’s terms, I want to be Vice President of Student Council to lead the student
body and to enhance our school spirit in the coming year. I believe through various activities and
simply giving the student body the right to speak their minds changes can be made for the better.
However, I can only seize the opportunity to do these things by being voted as Vice President of
the General Student Council
Nikita JivrajaniBeing a part of Student Council has helped me become more involved and overall, a
better student. I have been a part of Junior Class Student Council for three consecutive years and
have the potential to become an officer. I am dedicated, organized, and responsible and I believe
that being an officer will provide me with leadership qualities that I already have but have not
been able to portray. I have always watched others take charge and I know that I am capable of
being in that position; however, I merely need an opportunity to get there and Student Council is
the best way to bring out the pre existing leadership qualities I have.
Not only will being an officer help me, but it will help General Student Council as well. I
bring forth a multitude of ideas to the Student Council family. For instance, I would love to
improve the school spirit of Edison High. I want to make all the classes want to participate in all
school activities, fundraisers, charity events, dances, and contribute to all the different sales and
drives. The only way to do that is to make them love their school. I know many people who get
embarrased to say that they go to Edison High School and that is the notion that I want to
improve if not change completely. The only way to get that is to make the students aware of all
the great things about Edison High that already exist. We need to become proud of our school and
soon enough, our school would become the most spirited.
Secretary:
Joanne LiI want to become a Student Council Officer to enhance my experience at Edison High
School. Becoming an officer would allow me to be more involved in terms of helping organize
events, meeting new people, and making a difference in the school. I am also good at note-taking,
which is a valuable asset for secretary, whom takes notes during the meetings. Finally, I wish to
develop and improve my leadership skills. Involvement in something as large and influential as
general student council definitely helps build strong leadership qualities.
I think what is really lacking in Edison High is school spirit. If I were to become an
officer, I would try to bring more attention to the school wide events to foster more spirit in the
students. The current officers have already done a lot for the school and I would like to continue
what they are doing for things like spirit week and the pep rallies. In all, I wish to become an
officer to be more involved in the school and be able to make a difference in my high school.
Nicole ZahreddineHi my name is Nicole Zahreddine, I am currently a junior running for general student
council secretary. Why vote for me? I believe I can contribute greatly to EHS with my extreme
enthusiasm and outgoing personality which allow peers to easily confront me about new ideas
and concerns. I have been affiliated with different clubs and sports at Edison High School:
Soccer, Track, Rotary club and Key club. I have also had the privilege of being sophomore
student council president and co-founder/ co-president of Childrens' Charity Club. Through these
positions, I learned about leadership and hard work and have thus developed a passion in making
EHS a better place.
As student council secretary, I hope to share my ideas; however I am more interested in
hearing what you guys have to say. Officers should not only have a say in what goes on in the
school, that is why if I am elected I will it my priority to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.
High School should be an academic, exhilarating and an overall fun experience. General student
council is responsible for assuring that all these factors are met, and a strong foundation is
therefore necessary. I look forward to potentially serving as secretary and making sure EHS
reaches its full potential.
Treasurer:
Phanirekha ChandraWhat’s great about Edison High? Edison High School actively participates and donates
it’s time to not only better the students but also the community. A huge contribution to EHS’s
success comes from the Student Council, particularly the Student Council officers. During this
past year alone, the officers have been involved and donated to various organizations thereby
increasing the unity and school spirit within the student body. I would really like to have the
opportunity to do the same and therefore am running for the position of Treasurer. I would like to
coordinate fundraising projects, pitch ideas, and distribute money to ensure that EHS and its
students have a significant impact both in the learning environment and our school. This past
school year, I have had the great opportunity to be a Community Committee Chair member for
General Student Council. With this role, I have had the first-hand experience with the hard work
that goes into being a bigger part of Student Council and essentially our school. I've helped plan
and publicize the various events we've had this year---Homecoming, Dodge ball for
Charity, Volleyball for Charity, Spirit Weeks, and generally understand the work and
commitment it takes to be a Student Council Officer. The past two years, I've also been involved
with Class Student Council; these experiences have helped me apprehend the dedication,
commitment, and hard work it takes to initiate all the events and ideas that make our school a
better place.
The role of Treasurer comes with a great deal of responsibilities; those that affect our
school and community. As Treasurer I would have to count and keep track of the money, record
expenditure in an organized way, present budgets of activities to the Student Council, handle all
fees, distribute the money as it seems fit, be trustworthy and honest. Managing money is more
difficult than it sounds; it is important to be sensible in spending habits which requires to
thoroughly research projects. As a current co-chair, I helped out and understand various
fundraising tactics and distribution of money for school events. This enables me to balance a
budget and explore other fun events both in school and the community. I can help out the
community because I have been exposed to volunteer work; I will eagerly reach out to those in
need and this will motivate others to do so as well. In reaching out to the community, students in
our school will be inspired to lend a helping hand and make positive differences. I understand that
the title of Treasurer comes with a lot of responsibility but my experience from Class Student
Council and Co-Chair will further enrich the student body, Edison High School, and nevertheless
the community.
Isham HuqThroughout the past two and a half years of my time at Edison High School, I have
grown and matured a great deal. This is due to the wonderful teachers, coaches, students, and
other staff members I have come across. Whether it was by helping me to study, pushing me to
work hard on the field, making me laugh when I'm feeling down, or just being there to talk to,
these people have always been there for me. Because of this, I feel as though I owe it to the
school to be a leader in order to give back and help Edison High how it has helped me. The
students here deserve a unique high school experience, and so I want to give it all I can to help
make that happen.
If I am elected as treasurer, the student body can trust me to handle the school's money
properly. I will make sure all the money made at events, such Volleyball for Charity, Dodgeball
for Charity, and Mr. EHS, will all be accounted for carefully and responsibly. I understand that
our school is a diverse group with many different ideas and opinions, and so one of my main
objectives as treasurer will be to keep everybody's best interest in mind when deciding what the
money should go towards. I will personally go out of my way and talk to students around the
school, finding out what they want to see happen at Edison High to make it an even better place
to grow and learn. It has also been encouraging to see school spirit grow a great deal in my time
here, and so I want that to continue and grow even more as I help it spread throughout the school
by finding out what exactly interests our students. I want the student body to have faith in me and
support the decisions I make as treasurer if I am elected.
All in all, if I am elected as treasurer, the students should be assured that I will do my
best to ensure that they have a great time from September to June, and enjoy their time at Edison
High by helping it be the best it can for everyone.
Zeshan TawaMy name is Zeshan Tawa and I am running for treasurer for the General Student Council.
I am running for this position because I believe that with my contribution of skill set and
dedication, we can make next school year strive in spirit and overall unity. The school is in need
of dedicated officers that will try their utmost best to improve the school by creating events and
similar things to empower student population as a whole.
There are many ways I can improve the school by running for treasurer. I can help budget
the school's money for events and have more than enough resources for everyone to have a great
time. I will put my greatest effort in improving whatever I can with my fellow future officers.
High School is a once in a lifetime place, so why not make the best of it.
Student Council Elections will be held on
Wednesday, April 2nd in the auditorium
Period 1: Freshmen Class
Period 2: Junior Class
Period 3: Sophomore Class