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

Q: Okay, so Alban, what are you running for?

A: I’m running for president. Class of 2024.

Q: So why are you running? And why are you really running?

A: I’m running because I feel that the current [administration] isn’t providing enough support [for students] through our senior year. I’m running because I feel the events we hold are boring. And I want my senior year to be fun. I’m running because we had $70 prom tickets, and still had off brand Coke. 

Q: “Off-brand Coke”? You mean Pepsi?

A: Yes. I think I could change all that, have more in-school events, have more exciting events, have more events that matter to our school.  Overall, I feel like I could represent BHS better than our current [president].

Q: So what exactly are you looking to do differently from what’s been done before?

A: I’m looking to do more in-school fundraising. I’m looking to do more fundraising that people will volunteer for. I want to incorporate clubs, to do a bunch of different types of these fundraisings for prom. We can have the Art club, Culinary Club…We can bring other clubs, we don’t need to spend eight grand on random people that have nothing to do with our school at all.

Q: What issues are you campaigning on? Like, what’s your main stand?

A: My main stand is: this is a public school. I’m in public school for a reason. I’d like to not spend $70 [for the prom]. Every chance, every event that I have to go to, I want to make it affordable, fun, and memorable.

Q: Are you confident that you’re going to perform well?

A: I am very confident. I believe that the people at the school want what I want. I have spoken to many people.  I’m a man of the people, I’d say. I listen to the people and actually try to take action towards what everyone wants. I’m not doing this to put it on my college transcript or anything like that. I’m doing this because I want to do it.

Q: Why are you running now, as opposed to years prior?

A: Well, I ran last year, but that was for vice president. And obviously, as a joke. I didn’t prep the speech. I ran last year as a joke, because I didn’t take it too seriously. I just wanted to improve my self confidence speaking in front of the whole grade. And now that I have done that, I think I can confidently run now. And I have ideas that are better than before.

Q: Why do you think you’re the one who’s good for the role? Like why do you think you’re the one who’s going to be  making fundraising better and making events bigger? 

A: I’d like to think that I’m the only one that’s stepping up to try to do something. I think I can improve upon [the previous administration]. 

Q: What makes you different from them?

A: What makes me different from them is I try not to incorporate myself in any types of drama. I give honest answers to everyone who asks questions about what I want to do. I try to overall make it so no one has a bad image of me. 

Q: So are you doing this for your image? 

A: I don’t care about my image. Would you rather want someone who has drama with a lot of people or would you rather have someone who has no drama and just wants the best for the school? 

Q: For anyone who remembers that you had a joke campaign or like a kind of light hearted campaign last time around, how will you convince them? Or how will they know that you are sincere this time? 

A: Well, I think they will hear my message, hear my thoughts, and they will know I’m sincere. Last year, I didn’t have any valid points. Again, I was just trying to get my confidence up and speaking in public. But now I am very confident speaking in public, and I will gladly share my thoughts and ideas. And if they don’t like it, that’s okay with me, they can keep voting for our current president. 

Q: What are the main duties the president performs? 

A: Fundraising. [The current administration] does fundraisers with stores that people don’t know. And they ask people to go to those stores and buy something, which doesn’t benefit us at all. We think we get ten pecent of what we buy, maybe. And that’s no benefit. Instead, I could talk to stores, get their supply, and then resell those supplies. A hundred percent of the profits go towards what we need to get done. I think it’s a more efficient way than taking a small percentage of what the store is already making. Ah, yes, yes, I sold donuts. And I raised over $1,000, just from selling donuts for $1 each.

Q: Could you tell us a little bit more about that? How might your previous experiences will make you better at fundraising?

A; I’ve done a bunch of event-planning for small businesses. It’s what I do on the side, I tried to get businesses more money. So I think that I am a perfect guy for this in terms of experience. I’m very experienced in, you know, making events to bring in money. And I think the fact of the matter is that I’m just the fact of the matter is, I just overall feel that I am better for raking in the money, so our senior year could go as smoothly as possible. Of course, it’s not all about money. And I do intend on listening to everyone’s concerns, and I do plan on answering them. 

I am here for those who want a new president.

Q: How would you prefer that students reach out to you to voice their concerns, if any would like to speak with you before (or after) the election?

A: In my speech, I will give out my email. I plan on telling people to come up and talk to me when they see me around school. I also plan on having a QR code with a simple Google form for anyone who prefers communicating that way. And I will answer any and all of the questions I receive.