Press "Enter" to skip to content

ASB Elections: What You Need to Know

A multitude of elections are being held currently – some on the national scale, but others here at Mira Loma. ASB officers are yet to be chosen, as elections never happened last year due to the lockdown. To make up for this, an election is being held online. However, with barely any contact with students and nobody on campus, it can be very difficult to get the necessary information to make the right vote.

How to Vote

All voting will occur online. 4th period teachers will give students a link to a form with which they can vote on Friday, October 9th. Additionally, the link will be available on Mira Loma’s school website. Each student will have to provide their ID, full name, grade, and student email to prevent voter fraud. Despite all of this information being turned over, the votes will be completely confidential.

Currently, all voting is for ASB positions only. Class officer elections are still postponed indefinitely, but will likely occur after school is back in session. If the ASB election runs smoothly enough, though, the class officers may be elected online in a similar method.

The Candidates

Each candidate was interviewed and had to answer the following questions

  1. Why are you running for this position?
  2. What leadership experience do you have?
  3. What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?

The Presidency

Candidate 1: Reem Saleem

Why are you running for this specific position?
Honestly, this position is something I would have never even imagined to run for. As a freshman, I would look up to people like Kelly Jacobsen and Mikayla Yuson (former asb presidents) but I would never imagine that I could possibly be in their position too. So I am honored to even be able to run for asb president and it is something I have been working towards for a long time. As I started getting more into student government and leadership my freshman and sophomore year, asb president seemed like the end goal and what I was building up to. Last year, I was asb secretary and that is when I fully decided to run for asb president because I just fell in love with how asb was run and the type of planning and work that came with it. 

What previous leadership experience do you have?
As a freshman I was class secretary, then sophomore class president, asb secretary my junior year and with your vote I can continue to be asb president this year! I am also one of the three student representatives on site council since last year, which I am now the chairman of. As well as managing all clubs and being a part of a few, two of which I am an officer in. These positions along with three years of stud gov have made a major impact on my leadership skills and helped me grow as a person. I hope through these activities, you can see how much I love love love Mira Loma. Before ML, I wasn’t the most outgoing and I was crazy shy. This is why running for this position means the world to me. I was able to get out of my shell and now I am totally in love and devoted. This is something I am definitely passionate about, I even love all the stress that comes with it because it is truly something I love to do. 

What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
In the past, I have noticed the involvement of student government and other clubs and organizations on campus to be minimal. This year I am hoping to partner with different clubs and people to bring students even better events. As well as helping small clubs and even different sports advertise their events and games for a better turnout through things like our video announcements, ml bulletin, posters, etc. I also want more school involvement in the decisions on campus. Since a lot of people end up unhappy with certain decisions made in student government, I will add more voting opportunities for the student body and I plan to take suggestions and polls from our students for things even as small as spirit week dress up days or pricing for certain events. I will strive to make everything more inclusive and include all students when it comes to decision making. Something I feel that Mira Loma lacks is an emphasis on mental health. I have been in contact with Del Campo, which last year was successful in raising awareness about mental health through things such as an awareness week as well as creating a safe space and relaxing lounge area for their students that included care packages and recourses to help. Their project is something that inspired me to hopefully do something similar this year in hopes of helping the many students on our campus who are struggling. I have also researched other schools and how they do their rallies in order to up the spirit and fun in ours. Although we may not got back to school in time to have rallies, the ideas that I have collected can be used for other events, even virtual ones. I am well aware that due to corona, school events are not possible at least for now, and virtual events seem to obviously be not as exciting. I will try my best to create events that are still safe for everyone and will abide by the district covid policies. One of the ideas I have include a movie drive-in which allows for students to go out and have fun while still social distancing. This is one of the plenty ideas I would love to make happen with your help! So please make sure to vote Reem Saleem for ASB president this Friday! Thank you for your consideration!

Candidate 2: Dina Aljibori

Why are you running for this specific position?
My main motive for running for ASB president is that I would love the opportunity to serve our school. I would love to bring my experience to my fellow Matadors to help everyone thrive both in and out of school. Through participating in activities put on by the school, it has really allowed me to find myself and I would like to use my platform to encourage my fellow students to pursue the things they love doing so they can also find who they are.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
I have been an officer since my freshman year at Mira loma high school. Starting with treasurer, then Vice President and then finally junior class president. I have also been In student government since my sophomore year.

What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
If elected, I will work with my fellow asb officers to create an environment in which students can thrive from home. We will try to create online events and promote that lively school spirit our Matadors have!

The Vice Presidency

Candidate 1: Bella Castillo

Why are you running for this specific position?
I do great as someone else’s support system! As vp my job is to help my fellow asb and stud gov peers and step in when needed which is why I chose this position

What previous leadership experience do you have?
In high school I’ve had the opportunity to be a class officer twice now, once as secretary and again as vp! I absolutely loved it. And I believe these positions helped me prepare the most 

What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
I’d love to raise school spirits! I know sar is a season when our entire school can come together. But imagine if that was every day! Some days I don’t want to go to school but I want to find reasons for everyone to want to go to school

Secretary

Candidate 1: Abby Pearson

Why are you running for this specific position?
I am running for ASB Secretary because I believe it suits me the best out of all the positions. I have spoken with the past ASB Secretary about the responsibilities I will have if elected. I am heavily interested in the best for Mira Loma and I believe with this position, I am able to give back as much as I can. There are a lot of responsibilities that I am more than ready to take on to help better the entire student body’s experience at Mira Loma.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
Since my freshman year at Mira Loma, I have been involved with the Mira Loma Volleyball Team. Volleyball is a communication and leadership driven sport where a lot of people have to take initiative. It has taught me valuable leadership skills. I am also one of 3 student-elected representatives on Mira Loma’s Site Council where we oversee the schools budget for the year and decide on spending. Being a student leader and making decisions that impact every student at Mira Loma is so rewarding, and I would love to expand on my leadership skills if elected!

What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
I would love to help immerse new students into Mira Loma’s culture. Being in quarantine and being at a new school is difficult and it’s hard to integrate and make friends. I would love to host events where students could make new friends, distance learning or not. I would also love to help increase student engagement with challenges with incentives to increase participation. This will also help us connect to each other and captivate Matadors and teachers. I am always open to new ideas and suggestions from others as well!

Candidate 2: Toby Gaudreau

Why are you running for this specific position?
Being secretary has a lot to do with communication and correspondence to the student body. I love interacting and talking to people which is why I decided to run for this position where I will be able to continue reaching out and hearing your ideas. I believe my past leadership experience allows me to also be well suited for the needed responsibility of keeping official minutes and records.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
I have been a part of student government since 8th grade including attending a California leadership conference. Since high school, I have been an officer of a club, had the honor to be Class President and am one of the only juniors to be in the second year in the Student Government class. I love our school and through these experiences have gained much knowledge as to how the school is run and what I need to do to effectively and efficiently for the job of Secretary.

What are some changes that you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
Spirit has always been a priority to me and with distance learning, I have been and will continue to try to bring spirit to the homes of all matadors and continue any and all activities we can do on campus normally. My goal is to keep the matador spirit alive in this trying time and adapt as much as we can to the virtual screen.

Treasurer

Candidate 1: Anvita Chinthada

Why are you running for this specific position?
The position” ASB Treasurer is a very important job for our school. Planning events, budgeting is crucial to execute events in a timely and professional manner. This position also includes working on the constitution and working with clubs for budgets and fundraising. This job is extremely rewarding because it gives me a challenge while giving back to my school. This also gives me a way to be able to interact with different clubs, and get to know all grade levels. I am running for this position not only because of the challenge but also to be the crucial member that vision and plans the important events and expenditures that are school needs to work on. 

What Previous Leadership Experience do you have?
I was in the student government last year as well, and even though I didn’t have a position as an officer, I think that being in the student government itself rewarded me with good speaking skills, planning, and creating for events and tasks. I believe this experience will be the raw experience to start my journey as ASB Treasurer. I am also a dance assistant teacher at my dance academy, and it was a leadership experience that gave me the power to organize and guide people in what to do and accomplish for their success. 

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
Executing events the way we used to is a little harder now, due to COVID-19 but there are still ways to keep up school spirit. First of all. I am in the committee for SCORE which is the Student Committee on Racial Equality. I would like to put money towards this project this year to execute events that will bring attention. I would like to spend in Matawear, fundraisers, guest speaker events, discussion circles, and school climate checks. These are all ideas that have been brought up by the committee and I want to execute them. I would like to implement ideas over our zoom classes where people can win prizes or gift cards. I believe that keeping some kind of engagement in classes will be better for our students and staff members. I want to do an artwork contest where winners are awarded, and hopefully when school reopens this artwork can be displayed at our school.

Candidate 2: Isabella Carrasco

Why are you running for this specific position?
I’m running for ASB Treaurer because I genuinely enjoy financing and managing money. I also have several ideas that our school could do for fundraisers so when we get back we have the money to still do events such as homecoming and SAR.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
I currently am the secretary for Mira Loma’s Academic Decathlon and I have helped organize Club Rush this year. I believe that both of these experiences have helped me develop my skills as a leader by listening to the other people I’m working with so we can all get our ideas together in order to create an environment that is fair for everyone.

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
One of the main things that I believe that we need to do, especially now, is keep our school engaged and connected with each other. That is why I want to modify normal school events or create new events so we could possibly do them virtually or in person while following social disatncing guidelines. These won’t replace our normal events but for the time being these would be nice to do so we could all take a moment and try to enjoy ourselves. In order to do so we would have to invest in some PPE to ensure the safety of our fellow students. As ASB Treasurer I would do my best to make sure that
these things happen.

Supreme Court (3 members are chosen instead of 1)

Candidate 1: Maria Tawadrous

Why are you running for this specific position?
I want to be an ASB Supreme Court justice because I want to increase student involvement (especially now) and make sure every student population is heard, create a positive atmosphere to have students feel wanted and accepted, which is critical to success. Plus, making sure students have the best high school experience.

What Previous Leadership Experience do you have?
The most valuable leadership experience I have been involved in is te student leadership council for the San Juan School District. As treasurer of the council, my main role and responsibility were to report how much money we have and make recommendations on ways we can budget or save. I also had to work with my team and find new methods to welcome English learners. The experience has been an excellent an one as it has taught me to be responsible, communicate better, teamwork, learn about new cultures and languages, and most importantly, how to be a good helper and friend. Another valuable leadership experience that I have been involved in is student government. My main role in student government was publicity. I also was in charge of the ELD students, making sure their English teachers were aware of the activities and upcoming events that the Student Government would be putting on. I would always be the touchpoint for the students or the ELD teachers for more clarification. This has made me get to know teachers and students on a different level.

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
Some of the new ideas that I have may include:

  • school-wide t-shirts for staff on the first day with names on the back
  • welcome posters all around the school when we come back
  • spirit day, dface painting with school spirit logos at lunch
  • bring mascot out at lunch
  • buy things for school spirit and hadn out for free
  • Dress up days; one could be around the world
  • Ask students why they are not participating in dress-up days. Then take that info back to the team. ake sure everyone knows about the spirit days.
  • Senior parking spots painted
  • Teachers could decorate their doors
  • Mira Loma masks (if we need them when we come back)
    My main goal is to have a wonderful year no matter what format we are in and always make the school a better place for everyone. And I would always be ready to help anyone
Candidate 2: Adrian Li

Why are you running for this specific position?
I am running for Supreme court specifically because they decide on a lot of rules for Homecoming and SAR. There are events I would like to put in and changes to Hoco floats. Having an esports event is quite needed to further enhance the experience of SAR.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
In terms of previous leadership experience, not many can keep up with me tbh. I’ve been in student government in middle school for 2 years, was named as an ASB officer in 8th grade, then class VP for 2 years, currently, I am in the student government class, site council, and running for SC. This is also my third year as a CASL ambassador, which is California’s Association of Student Leaders.

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
So once again, new ideas would include my e-sports plan. E-sports is quite organized for quite a few games, and many players can be found within our school. This is a huge population that we are missing out on in terms participation in SAR. This can also be turned into intramurals. And for HOCO, I feel that being able to actively include family, friends, and neighbors like El Camino, to create a stronger sense of community. Not only that, it would elevate the level at which we build the floats.

Candidate 3: Michael Alofa- Aders

Why are you running for this specific position?
I’m running for this specific postition because I believe it’s where I can make the most impact, and have my voice heard.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
I’ve participated in student government in previous years, as well as this year, and I have played water polo since the freshman year.

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
The biggest change I plan to make is help Student Government communicate with the student body more effectively. In previous years, so many school events weren’t widely known about because of how much information needed to be passed through word-of-mouth. I plan to set up a student government newsletter to be emailed to students, as well as consolidate the fragmented class accounts.

Candidate 4: Elizabeth Hernandez

Why are you running for this specific position?
I am running for ASB supreme court because I believe I will be a good addition, and I want to bring my ideas to the table regarding homecoming and SAR this year. They are going to be different than they usually would be, however this is an opportunity for those on supreme court to use their creativity.

What previous leadership experience do you have?
While I haven’t held many leadership positions, I feel that the ones I have held have well prepared me for the one I would like to take on. I was a starter on my Varsity water polo team both inside and outside of school. I am also one of the founders of S.C.O.R.E. (student committee on racial equality) which is new to our school this year. My short time in student government has taught to use my public speaking skills more than I ever have, and I believe I would be qualified to be a part of ASB supreme court.

What are some changes you plan to make or new ideas that you have?
This school year is going to be different to say the least, my goal is to make it exciting even if we can’t be on campus. One of my ideas is a virtual homecoming incorporating all the aspects we normally would (that can be done). Such as class themes, shirts, spirt week, and royalty, with a focus on spirit week as the primary event. This is an opportunity to bring back school spirit and encourage people to participate. However when we do go back to school SAR could look different. I have ideas on ways to make the events socially distanced if necessary. Aside from that, we need to be encouraging more participation in activities around campus especially for the underclassmen. I believe we should get the word out more than we usually do about sports, spirit weeks, and SAR whether we are at school or not. This would encourage more people to participate and bring more unity throughout the school.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *