Election season is underway at BHS. Juniors will go to the polls Wednesday, June 14, to cast their vote for a senior president. Class president of three years, Maria Gabriella Braga, is being challenged by newcomer, Alban Jalli, who kicked off his campaign this week with a donut giveaway. Stakes are high given that this race is for the high school’s top student government position. The fate of the upcoming senior class lies in the hands of one of these two individuals. Now, it’s up to the people to decide who they will choose. Will Braga’s experience in leadership or Jalli’s new ideas win over the crowd? 

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

BY ABRAHAM ANDREWS AND ANNA BROPHY AND LUNA CROCKETT

Panther News: So why are you running again?

Braga: I’ve had a lot of fun doing the job. I’ve also learned a lot of things like time management, delegating tasks, and also just [what it’s like] being in a leadership position. I really like the community here. And I really like planning and organizing fundraisers. I think it’s a really, really rewarding job. So, I’d really like to do it again next year. 

Panther News: And how would you assess your performance as president thus far?

A: I think I have done a really good job for the past three years as president. Obviously, when going into it [during the pandemic], we didn’t really have the opportunity to do many things. And even with that, we still tried to do fundraisers, like the scavenger hunt, and really tried to work with what we had. And then sophomore and this year, we have done a good job raising money and a good job bringing the class together as the years go on, as we realize that we’re getting closer to the end of our high school experience. 

Panther News: What are some highs and lows of your experience as president thus far,

A: Some highs would be, I think, canning [for fundraising] and carwashes. Just like different things when people are giving good feedback, and like saying that they’re like, appreciative of what we’re doing. And also, prom would be a very big high, because it was very fun. And I’m happy that a lot of people had a good time. 

Some lows would be like the fundraisers where we plan, and a lot of effort goes into it, and then it’s not executed the way that we had expected it to. 

And some other lows would just be when, especially for me, it really kind of  puts me down when people just don’t really realize that I’m trying the best that I can. I have planned every fundraiser since freshman year, I’ve done a lot of things solo. It’s just very hard to do things alone. 

Panther News: As class president, do you get feedback from students? And what do you do with that feedback?

A: I do, sometimes. We just try to answer the question, or at least I try to answer the question and see what would be either a good compromise. Most of the time, just listening to people’s feedback and doing what they would like usually ends up being better for everyone. 

Panther News: Have you tried to reach out to more people? 

A: I mean, we’ve had meetings before to discuss any sort of issues that people have. And on our Instagram, we’re always open for DMs, and always asking if anyone has any questions or concerns. You can definitely email us. 

Panther News: So what are you looking to do differently if you’re reelected? 

A: I would really, really like to do more. We have a better, bigger opportunity next year to do more events where we can have the whole class together, especially since in our senior year, more people will want to come to them. So I’m really looking to have our class all be together and really just enjoy each other’s presence for the last year that we have of high school.

Panther News: Are there any issues you have that are central to your campaign this year, or anything that you’re really striving for, as your upcoming president? 

A: I would really like it if our class was able to have more fun together. And I feel like when we’re all working as a team or just really doing enjoyable things and all showing up to different fundraisers and having a good time together, I think that we will solve a lot of problems. 

I really think our class can, at times, be very cliquey. And a lot of people sort of just get into their groups, and then it just really isn’t fun for anyone because no one wants that. So another thing would be realizing that we are all basically the same. We’re all doing the same thing. The end goal is just to graduate high school. So I think if we can sort of get past our whole cliques, then it would be a lot more. It would be a good experience for everyone. 

Panther News: Any other statements you’d like to add or any closing little tidbits you want for the audience?

A: Something I would like to add is, for a lot of people seem to have an issue with the price of prom tickets for for $70. Prom was extremely expensive. Just because it’s like a huge venue, you have to pay for food, you have to pay for different people to be there. And the venue itself is already expensive. 

Food is even more. The tip for the people was I think, over $3,000. So if we could have made the prices lower, it would have been great, we just weren’t in a financial position to do that. And even if we had raised a lot more money, it would have been very difficult to lower the prices just because everything is very, very expensive.

Panther News: What’s the main reason that people should vote for you? 

A: I think the main reason that people should vote for me is because I know how much work goes into planning different events. And I know how much goes into having different fundraisers and also just really running student council because I’ve had a lot of experience with it before. 

So for our last year, I feel like starting over from scratch, and having a completely new person, or completely new people would be very difficult just because they lack the experience that it takes to really run it and not keeping in mind that sort of work. And I think having people who are familiar and comfortable helps.