By Cecilia Cress
Elm Staff Writer
The election of class officers for the 2021-2022 academic year officially began on April 13 with the announcement of candidates for class presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, and treasurers.
Class officer candidates created introductory videos which were uploaded to the Washington College Student Government Association’s YouTube channel.
Candidates for the class of 2024 officers include freshmen Jay Dadhania, current President of the Class of 2024 Grace Apostol, Kate Gromacki, current Secretary of the Class of 2024 Emily Arnold, and current Treasurer of the Class of 2024 Silvana Tipson.
Dadhania is running against Apostol for the presidential position. According to his video, Dadhania’s platform focuses on moving forward after a freshman year full of changes and uncertainty.
Apostol emphasized the need to create changes that benefits all students and advocating for the sharing of opinions and hearing of all students’ voices, according to her video.
“With a new school year approaching, that means that new opportunities are on the horizon: not just for our class, but for the school as a whole. We must continue to make changes that benefit everyone on our campus,” Apostol said.
Running for vice president of the class of 2024 is Gromacki. According to her video, she has three years of prior experience in student government.
Gromacki said she thinks students have been disconnected from one another throughout recent semesters. So, she said now is an important time to “foster community, where we can all connect and become more of a family.”
Arnold is running for re-election as class secretary. Arnold emphasized the importance of their upcoming sophomore year and her dedication to making it a positive experience for WC students.
Tipson is also running for re-election as class treasurer. She said that she hopes to plan more events and fundraisers for the upcoming fall semester.
Candidates running for positions in the class of 2023 include sophomores Noah Vargas, current Vice President of the Class of 2023 Julianna Sterling, current Secretary of the Class of 2023 Mariama Keita, and current Treasurer of the Class of 2023 Dylan Snow.
Presidential candidate Vargas, who rapped his introductory video, said he is a member of the Student Events Board and the College Democrats. Vargas promised to “relentlessly” represent the rising junior class.
Sterling, who is running for re-election as vice president, is a member of the SGA and has served on the committee for student social life, organizations committee, and subcommittees for hunger and homelessness, according to her video. She is also a member of the varsity field hockey team.
Sterling says one of her main goals is to improve communication between the WC administration and students.
Class secretary candidate Keita has held the position for the last two years and hopes to be re-elected. Keita is involved with Black Student Union, African Student Union, is a delegate for WC’s Model UN, and is a senator on the SGA budget committee. She is also a member of the women’s rowing team.
Keita emphasizes the importance of the transition from virtual to in-person classes in the fall 2021 semester.
Treasurer candidate Snow has served in the position for two years. He has also served on the SGA budget committee.
Snow said that his main goal is to accurately represent the diverse interests of the entire class of 2023.
“Being class officer is more than just the individual roles I have on the budget committee. Being a class officer is about being part of a team of my fellow officers, and also just my fellow students,” Snow said.
The rising senior class of 2022 candidates are juniors Skyler Hancock, current Vice President of the Class of 2022 Lizzie Craig, and current Treasurer of the Class of 2022 Izze Rios.
Hancock hopes to serve as class president for the first time during the 2021-2022 academic year. According to her video, she is a member of the women’s rowing team, a member of the constitutional review committee, and is vice president of the mock trial team.
“I feel like I have the passion and the time to make our class and our senior year the best that it can possibly be,” Hancock said.
Running for re-election as vice president is Craig, who has held the position for the past three years.
Craig said she is not only dedicated to reuniting the senior class, but the entire WC community.
Rios is running for re-election as treasurer. Rios said her previous year of experience as treasurer and with SGA Senate allows her to “have an understanding of monetary needs” on campus.
“I look forward to bridging the divide between student government and our class,” Rios said.
No candidate is running for secretary of the class of 2022.
Class officer elections will occur on Tuesday, April 20 on Campus Groups.
Featured Photo caption: The 12 candidates for the class officers of the classes of 2024, 2023, and 2022 were officially announced on April 13. Candidates introduced themselves to the campus community through introduction videos posted on the Student Government Association’s YouTube channel. Pictured at the top is junior and current Treasurer of the Class of 2022 Izze Rios, who is running for re-election.
