Junior Rimon Debnath

Why did you decide to run?

I decided to run because I believe this school is a work in progress right now. My freshman year, it was pretty fun. My sophomore year, the school had some lower points, and now as a junior, I see the school is going back to something where everybody’s more united, everybody has more spirit and I feel like I’m the best option right now for this to continue. I can become someone who’s able to lead the school for future generations to look back at and be like, Wow, that’s what Van Nuys is. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

I’m someone who’s more willing to listen to people around me. I know a lot of people that are leaders and they think that whatever they say is the right choice, and because of the power they have, that’s what they’re able to do. I want my peers to be happy. I want the schools to be happy. So whatever they think is the best choice, I think is the best choice.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I will try having more events, which I know my other candidates will try, but I want there to be more sports. There could also be trivia games for the academic students who are more focused on that. I just want everybody in school to think that they’re all doing for Van Nuys and to all be a family. 

Sophomore Cate Gragnani

Why did you decide to run? 

I’ve always been interested in the position and because we’ve done really great this year, I just want to take everything we did this year and do more of it — make it bigger, better, everything. I think we have potential.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

As much as everyone thinks it’s a popularity contest, and it obviously is, there are so many people on campus who you do not know and who don’t know the other competitors. Going up to as many people as you can and talking to them makes a difference. I’ve had people go, “Oh, I saw your poster.” It does make a difference. It’s not predetermined.

What will you do for the school community if elected? 

My biggest thing is making other events more accessible, especially through advertising. For example, we always put up flyers in the same place and I feel like everyone tells their friends, but nobody’s going up to random people and talking to them. I think especially as someone who’s participated in so many extracurriculars and I know so many different people. I think if we spread out what we advertise so many more people will go to the events and make everything bigger. 

Junior Emmanuella Akinleye

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because I thought that if I wanted to see a change in ASB, I would bring it with myself. You can’t trust other people with what you want.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

Honestly, the biggest takeaway is that it’s good to know a lot of people, because if you’re running for this position and you don’t know as many people, you have to work twice as hard to get people to notice you. Because most people know me, it’s really easier for me to walk up to people and talk to them. 

What will you do for the school community if elected?

If elected, I will start by making changes from within, because a lot of people don’t mention this, but there are a lot of the problems in ASB. I’ve been in ASB for three years, so I know the problems. I know how to find solutions to it and how to work around them.

Junior Kaitlyn Milian

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because I should be able to make decisions that are best for Van Nuys. As a student myself, I feel sometimes our voices are unheard and sometimes the events are not exactly representing the students’ wants and desires. I am willing to become that voice for people and let them know that their opinions are heard and that they are respected and understood at this school. I also want to improve our environment to make sure that everyone enjoys and loves the school and events we plan. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I want to be as important as possible to everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are. I still want to represent you and make sure that you are heard in our school and that even if you think you don’t have a voice, you do and you have it with me. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I think I would make it common that we have polls where students talk about their feelings about the events we have on our campus and how they feel about it. I want to make sure that students are represented correctly and to make sure that their voices are heard.

Junior Lizeth Aguirre

Why did you decide to run?

I decided to run because I have been in ASB for two years, and during my time, I had the experience to work with many great people, so I wanted to step up so that someone who isn’t really passionate about the role will take over just to put it in their college applications.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I just want them to know that if people need anything, they shouldn’t be afraid of reaching out if they have any ideas or would like to share anything.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

If I’m elected, I’m gonna make sure we have more inclusion with the residential kids and among all the magnets because they feel like they are separated.

Sophomore Zamaya Cole

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because I had a deep passion for ASB Secretary and what the role is. I feel like I have the skills that are required for it. I like organizing things and keeping things on task.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

The biggest takeaway from my campaign that I would like others to know is that I’m somebody they can count on to be ASB Secretary — especially when it comes to being their voice at student-teacher meetings and just making sure that things are on track.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

One thing that I was thinking about that I wanted to start to do is implementing more student voices into staff meetings, because I know there’s a lot of students who want different things at this school, but their voices aren’t being heard as much as they could be.

Sophomore Raul Melendez

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because I feel though I’m a good fit for treasurer and to handle the money, as I’ve worked in many other places and have my own business as well. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

Oh, definitely my posters, I feel like they’re some of the most creative on the campus.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

If I’m elected, I’ll make sure that all the money goes into the right places. I’ll listen to the feedback that students give so I can put them in better places as well. 

Summer Chu

Why did you decide to run? 

I’ve been on board for two years now, and I wanted to finish it out and plan a really good prom. I already know the process and how everything works. I feel like I could make a positive impact on my class. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

There are some very popular people here but I will do my best for the class. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

Hopefully fire senior events, a really good prom. We already have a good budget which me and my board helped fundraise. I really want to make senior events memorable. 

Camila O’Neil

Why did you decide to run? 

I feel like our class has been really quiet. I’m kind of tired of waiting on the sidelines. I want to make more happen, actual fun. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

Let’s have fun. Let’s work hard. Lets put in the work to have fun.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

More fundraising, but also work to have people be eligible. I know a lot of seniors were not able to attend the events due to eligibility so I will work to see what I can do to help seniors be able to attend events. 

Christopher Ruiz Mejia

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because I believe I wouldn’t be running if I thought we weren’t already in a good position.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

The biggest takeaway from my campaign is that I’m a people’s person. I know all types of people, like athletes and performers. I know a lot of people, so I would have everybody involved in every activity. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would work with some teachers and staff members to do certain activities. Maybe we could do a teachers versus students flag football game.

Krystelle Arcinas

Why did you decide to run? 

Kind of just to continue with running because I’m the current Vice President and I want to continue contributing to our class and take part in the big events

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

Emphasizing that we’ve been putting in so much work throughout the past years, now is the time for it to pay off and we already have stuff in mind. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I guess planning for prom, fun events and using money for good food and having perks at certain events. 

Kiekie Das

Why did you decide to run? 

I have been a part of leadership programs like JROTC, MUN and we have organized a bunch of the big events for the school. As battalion commander and the president of both of those, I have a lot of experience with the background work and making sure that the logistics are correctly planned with our money and that all the stuff that we’re doing is accounted for. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

Definitely making sure that we’re prioritizing the maximum of effort that we put in, so that we can input money to maximum output as well. So definitely, the events that we plan and making sure that we’re actually having profit.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would definitely try to listen to what people want. I know they want a really good prom. I would definitely try to listen to that and try to make it happen faster and in a more efficient way. 

Jofi Joseph

Why did you decide to run? 

First, it really helps on my college applications, and I’ve already been secretary for the past three years and already have experience, so it’s just a given. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I want to share the fact that I have experience and it’s better to not have to train a new person to take over the role. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I will make sure all of our notes are organized and that all senior events are not a hot mess. 

Chiena Vitug

Why did you decide to run? 

I wanted to run for senior secretary because I am already in a lot of sports, organizations and clubs. I’d rather step it up and actually be a leader, instead of following someone’s directions.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

My biggest takeaway would be that I would actually focus on the priorities and not the needs. Like prom – sure, we need it, we want it, but I would want to pretty much do the things that are most necessary.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would use my credibility to hear the voices of others, especially since we have a lot of juniors who actually have more specific school activities. I would listen to them and actually use that if I was a leader.

Kaylen Chan

Why did you decide to run? 

I have been the treasurer for the past two years. I’ve loved our class, so I just want to continue doing that job for them. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

So the biggest takeaway from my campaign is probably the fact that since I’ve taken over as treasurer, because I wasn’t freshman board treasurer, I’ve helped increase our profits by 2400%.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

Well, for the school community in general, trying to help everyone. Also, this year’s senior board has been very helpful to us and I just want to help the future senior board as well.

Lucea Barte

Why did you decide to run? 

I noticed our class needs to generate more funds and I wanted to be the leader and help with the money. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

My biggest takeaway is being confident going into this.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would create school events that include all of our voices and make sure they are inclusive. 

Leo Gragnani

Why did you decide to run? 

Well, I’ve been the president the past two years, and I really want a full year to be able to do all the fundraising ideas I have. With freshman board, you kind of get one semester. I decided to run in the first place because I saw how expensive prom was, and I didn’t feel like that’s fair to everyone at the school who can’t afford it. So I really wanted to do my best to make the ticket prices cheaper, so everyone could buy them.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I’d like others to know that I am a collaborator and a team player. I want to work together with everyone to get a good prom, because it’s not a one person job.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I want to do more lunch fundraising activities, because those are more fun than just selling pizza after school. Sophomore Board, we’re doing a temporary tattoo fundraiser, so I want to do more stuff like that just to make Fridays or Thursdays more fun.

Clara Kim

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run for junior board as vice president because I’ve been freshman board and sophomore secretary for the past two years, and I wanted to step up as vice president because I like a lot of creative fundraising ideas. I wanted to help the president do more fundraising activities, because we couldn’t do that much during sophomore year.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

The biggest takeaway is, I have a lot of fundraising ideas and I really want to earn a lot of money for senior year. I thought about bingo during lunchtime and a few other activities that we can do after school, before school or during.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

The fundraising of course. I really want to do sophomore related events since seniors are always doing those kinds of things. It’ll be really fun to gather sophomores around and plan events.

Zoe Lopez

Why did you decide to run? 

I want to help my class become better and I want to be active at school.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I will always do my best.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would help fundraise money for prom.

​​Gregorio Hernandez

Why did you decide to run? 

I want to be more involved in school activities. Since I’m new here at Van Nuys I want to take an active part. I also want to host fundraisers so we can get a good prom. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

I’m a fresh face at Van Nuys and I would help bring a new outlook if people aren’t happy with those appointed. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I really want to tap into the school spirit. I would be able to make my class more lively and by providing more activities, it could help school spirit. 

Giovanny Garcia

Why did you decide to run? 

I decided to run because this year, we didn’t really do a lot and I also want to be able to 

make changes and have more events. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

We’re not just picking a president that we’re friends with but picking a president who would advocate for all of us as a whole.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I would make more events and fundraisers. I would focus not just on what I want, or what our board would want, but what our school and graduating class wants. I would listen to their ideas and take them into consideration.

Inaya Loox

Why did you decide to run? 

Well I am freshman board president and I want to work harder to have more fundraisers. I want to make sure we have enough money for events in our senior year. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know?

We will have more fundraisers next year and they will be more inclusive and fun for everybody.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I will try to make more money and have more fun events for everybody. Get everybody more included in things instead of focused on classes. I personally have friends in other grades and it would be more fun to have activities with other classes as well. 

Jishnu Patil

Why did you decide to run? 

I ran for freshman board vice president and was elected. I enjoyed the experience of serving on the board and I feel that I have an obligation to give back to the community and being on Sophomore board will give me that opportunity. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

I am incredibly committed to the school. I might not always seem like I make the best decisions but I have taken a lot of time and put a lot of thought into my decisions. I am also incredibly thoughtful and inclusive. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

For Sophomore Board, my goal is to raise more money. In Freshman Board, we didn’t get the chance to raise as much money as we wanted to but I will help raise more money for our senior year.  

Eliana Hughes

Why did you decide to run?

I wanted to run for Sophomore Board Secretary because I wanted to make a bigger difference in this school. I wanted to show that we could be organized, that we can keep track of what we need to do and fundraise better. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

I think I want others to know that being secretary isn’t only about taking notes, but it’s about listening to people and making sure that we have all of our assignments done and showing we could be organized and have fun with it.

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I’ll keep things organized. I’ll make sure to take good notes and I’ll make sure to prepare and fundraise as needed. I’m going to make sure that everything’s done and everything’s like that everything will be good for the higher ups.

Tanweshi Parida

Why did you decide to run?

Honestly, I don’t usually know what’s happening in school and I just want to promote transparency. Communication is one of the main reasons why I wanted to do this. I want everyone, the school and our class to know about what is the best and everything. I just want to create a better environment and have everyone be cheerful and everything with more events. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

Is my experience because I have been class representative for many years and I feel like I’m pretty good at communication skills with other people. Also I think conflict resolution and problem solving is a key thing that a secretary needs to have and I have a lot of experience. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I really want to start with fundraising. Sophomore year is harder, and I want to have more events during lunch or nutrition. I just really want to start with something like that.

Alice Carroll

Why did you decide to run?

I decided to run because I wanted to make a difference in the school community and I felt like I could help. 

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

We need to fundraise more and so that we can have more events and be more together

What would you do for the school community if elected?

If elected, I will do more events to build class spirit.

Vihaan Desai

Why did you decide to run?

I was the freshman board treasurer and I really enjoyed the position. It’s a role that fits me really well because I have been treasurer.

What is the biggest takeaway from your campaign that you’d like others to know? 

I’m someone that is reliable when it comes to money, I don’t mess around with it and I’ll make sure the money is set correctly. 

What would you do for the school community if elected?

I definitely want to help plan more fundraisers and overall help raise more money for our class.