It’s that time of the year again. Junior Student Council Election is coming up and you may have noticed some candidate accounts on Instagram following you already. Let’s see what this year’s Junior Council Student President candidates have to say. 

A very frequently asked but important question is why a candidate wants to run for their spot. One of the first candidates running for Junior Student Council President is Sebastian Dumelod. When asked why he wanted to run for junior council president, Dumelod responded, “Well what really made me run for president was the idea of me playing a bigger role for NHHS. I’ve always been on the side lines and I’ve always wanted to do something bigger, something that will give me a chance to show my creative skills as a leader and be the voice of the upcoming juniors and Seniors. Like if you would go back 2-5 years ago and tell my past self I was running for president he would’ve laughed at you.” He shares his experiences with the school in the past, which goes to show how big of a factor his past is when it comes to his motivation to run for junior council president.

Another candidate, Jamie Mendoza explains that “running for president has been a goal I’ve had in mind since i first joined student council because I’d love to organize lots of events with my peers in the class of 2026. A major inspiration for me wanting to become president is Eunice, who is the current student council president, since she has shown admirable leadership skills that I hope to achieve as well!” Many candidates look up to the current or past presidents as inspiration, which is the case for Mendoza. 

Of course, every candidate has plans on what they do if they win the election and become president. For example, candidate Sebastian Dumelod says that “If I do win the position for president, something I plan on doing is making sure the Juniors and seniors as well as NHHS itself is well represented. I also plan on creating new and fun events, activities, and fundraisers to ensure that everyone that attends has an amazing and memorable experience, especially since they’re doing the SATs, ACTs, college applications, etc. I plan on creating an open and safe environment for all members and students, and I am excited for what’s to come.” 

Similarly, candidate Jamie Mendoza said “I’m genuinely excited to work with my peers to make sure the class of 2026 has a memorable experience at NHHS. As JuCo president, I will take initiative with ideas that represent my class as a whole. I want to create a supportive community within the people in my grade in future events!” 

But not just anyone can become student council president. A candidate must stand out to catch peoples’ eyes and succeed. When asked about this, candidate Sebastian Dumelod said: “What makes me stand out is that I try to put dedication into whatever I do. I’m willing to dedicate my time running for this position, and if I do get the role of president, I am willing to dedicate all my time into communicating to my peers and the staff at school to make sure the next year is as fun as possible, especially since these upcoming years will be very stressful. I also believe running for such an important position needs you to balance everything that’s going on. I also think that I have the “low” ground when coming into this campaign since I am running against some quite popular people, but I’m still going to put my puts and show everyone how dedicated I am, who I am, and that I’m a hard worker.” Dumelod emphasizes on his dedication, which is without a doubt, a very desirable trait for the position he is running for.

It’s also important to consider that there are certain traits that are conventionally more desirable for candidates to have when running for president. Candidate Sebastian Dumelod states that “Some traits I definitely think someone should have for becoming Student Council President are traits such as willpower, commitment, communication, kindness, and integrity. If you’re running for an important position like president, you should care deeply for the students and staff, as well as have dedication to improve things others have deep opinions about.”

Additionally, it’s also very important to be relatively popular and liked among your peers, which isn’t necessary, but certainly does help with a candidate’s campaign. Candidate Sebastian Dumelod says that “I do agree that popularity plays a big role in being successful. I feel like in this day of age, popularity will win most of the time. If someone were to go vote for someone, they would most likely pick the more popular candidate than a less known candidate. Some don’t think about if the other less known candidate is a better pick, they care about voting for someone they know. This is why I decided to run for this position, to show that running against popular candidates isn’t scary, and as long as you put in the dedication, it will pay off.” Dumelod agrees that popularity does indeed play a big role in success. But despite running against more popular candidates than himself, Dumelod considers it a reason to run, and is determined to prove that it isn’t as “scary” as it seems.

Last but not least, it is true that only juniors are able to vote. This could be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on who you ask. According to candidate Sebastian Dumelod, “Yes, only juniors are allowed to vote for the upcoming elections. I feel like for some it would be an advantage and for others it would be a disadvantage. Some are known more by the juniors as others are known more by the other grade levels.” Dumelod doesn’t seem to see it as either, and honestly agrees that it really just depends on the type of person that the candidate is. 

Unfortunately, we were not able to interview or get any quotes from candidate Jaymin Kim.