The sophomore, junior and senior class officers for the upcoming school year were recently elected. Students received a Google Form with names of all candidates, and after a week of campaigns, the student body cast their votes for next year’s leadership. ASB’s Executive Board was elected first; then, followed by the class officer positions. When election night rolled around, Brandon Chang, Aileen Kwon and Audrey Kim were voted as officers for the sophomore class. The junior class majority went to Kayla Patel, Tashvi Ratnani, Daniel Jin and Samantha Burd. Finally, the senior class winners were Adrian Morales, Emily Kim, Aaron Won and Amelie Mendoza.

   Candidates campaigned in many ways, mostly through posters and social media posts. This year, election week was full of rainy days which posed a challenge for candidates, who typically walk around campus to meet new people or campaign with chalk drawings. However, the winning officers were able to work around this by campaigning with laminated posters in order to gain support from their peers. 

   One of the main duties of being a class president is planning events that appeal to the student body. Adrian Morales, the next senior class president, explained, “We’re basically making plans such as senior sunset, senior sunrise and basically in the middle of the year, I don’t know yet, maybe a movie night or game night.” 

   Patel has similar goals for the next school year. “My plans for the upcoming year are to plan prom, rallies and activities that more students will want to be involved in. My goal is to increase school spirit for an overall more enjoyable year! I also have many ideas for new events and traditions for our school,” she noted.

   A common goal between these two and newly elected sophomore class president Brandon Chang is that they all value inclusion and want to make sure all groups on campus can enjoy school activities. As his freshman year wraps up, Chang expressed, “Now that we’re used to West Ranch and high school as a whole, I want to make sure that we’re able to get used to each other and make sure that our entire class gains a greater sense of unity and belonging.” 

   The upcoming class officers have not only gained the majority of student votes, they have also shown their abilities to lead. “I think I’m very passionate about what I do and I feel like I’m very close to others and compassionate and open to people,” Morales expressed. “So I have a good understanding of what people want and what they need and I pull all of their ideas together and try to make it as best as possible for everybody.” 

   Similarly, Patel described, “What makes me a unique leader is my self-determination. To have this quality at a young age is valuable because I push myself beyond the limits and get tasks completed without being told to. I think ahead and plan for the future, which allows me to reach my goals faster and achieve great things.”

   Not only are these new officers looking forward to their future roles, but they are also excited to be representing their class as a whole. Morales explained, “I’m excited to be a leader for my class and plan these events. I think it’s going to be really fun to put my ideas into an actual reality.” 

   “As the new president for the junior class I am most excited about planning prom! I can’t wait to plan a memorable event during our high school experience. I look forward to hearing from the students what their hopes are for prom and to make it fun for everyone,” Patel expressed about being given the opportunity to take part in planning such important events.

  As the 2022-23 school year comes to an end, West Ranch is in good hands with the newly elected executive board and class officers. Cats, be sure to be on the lookout for these officers’ future plans for 2023-24 and congratulations to all of the winners!