It’s election season for Wildcats. This week (4/20-4/24), voting continues with elections for the following class offices: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Class officers work together in Homecoming preparations, class fundraising, and grade-level class activities. They play a vital role in leading their classes’ adventures throughout the school year!
The UHS News team spoke with these candidates about their motives for running, their goals, and the impact they hope to have on campus and in their class.
Senior Class Candidates
Junior Jordyn Brown is running for Senior Class President. She decided to run for president because she feels it’s important “to foster growth within our class and promote school unity.”
Brown shared that her goals if she becomes president are “to achieve another Homecoming victory as a class, and plan several entertaining events to ensure overall success.” With that, Brown hopes to plan a fun Senior trip to send off the class of 2027.
Brown says people should vote for her because “I strive to maintain a positive demeanor, organization, and effective communication with a multitude of circumstances.” She plans to be attentive to all suggestions to encourage togetherness for the Senior class.
She closes with the impact she hopes to have on the school: “I strive to have a positive impact on students and the school. I hope to foster inclusivity. I plan to do this through authenticity and empathy.”
Opposing Brown for Senior Class President is Junior Chris Medrano. Medrano shared, “I feel like I would be a very good class president because I know what’s going on around campus.” He continued, “I want to make good changes to the school and to the campus.”
Medrano added that his goals and plans are to “help his peers and help to plan events next school year, such as Prom and Homecoming.”
He expressed that Wildcats should vote for him because “I’m a very understanding person. When it comes down to it, I can be serious, but I’m overall an outgoing person, and I like to be funny.”
Medrano told UHS News that the impact he wants to have on students is, “I want to be seen as a role model, and whenever people think about me, they’ll think ‘this guy was president, and he helped me out a lot.” He further explained, “I just want people to be able to look up to me.”
Junior Scout Adams is running for Senior Class Vice President. She is running because, “I’ve been doing it the last three years and I really like being involved.”
Adams told the News Team her goals and plans for next year are to “win Homecoming, raise money for a cool senior trip, and senior recess.” She explained that people should vote for her because “I want to do what’s best for my class.”
She closed by stating, “I want everyone to feel included, and they can have a role and a voice in their class and school community.”
Also in the running for Senior Class Vice President is Junior Kimberli Olea. She decided to campaign for this position to “give a voice to all the kids, no matter their race or popularity status.” Olea plans to make Ukiah High a place where all students feel heard. “They all deserve a say; I want to help give it to them.”
If elected, Olea wants everyone to have a voice so that “we all feel that a little piece of us is embedded in 2027 for our final year.”
Harper Henderson, a Junior here at Ukiah, is running for Senior Class Secretary. She says she wants to run because, “I love being a part of my school community and having a leading role within my class. Where I’m able to encourage spirit, plan events, and ensure success within my class.”
She said that she wants to ensure a good senior year for next year’s seniors by organizing “fun events that bring our class together throughout our last year of high school.”
Henderson has experience in the secretary role and told UHS News that people should vote for her not just because of her experience but also because “I’m very caring, organized, and I will take my position very seriously.”
As secretary, she wants to have an impact “by ensuring that students feel welcome, appreciated on campus and within our class.”
Brady Banks, a Junior this year, is running for Senior Class Treasurer. He wants to run because “even though I haven’t been in leadership before, I believe I can help the school.”
Banks said that his goals and plans are “to hopefully make sure the senior class doesn’t run out of money.”
He explained that people should vote for him because “I’m really good with money and math, so I’ll be a good treasurer.”
Banks shared that, “I want to leave a good impact on the school, and not a negative one.”
Running against Banks for Senior Class Treasurer is Junior Sydney Koeppel. She wants to run because “I’ve been involved in leadership for the past 3 years. I have been class president, treasurer, and elections commissioner.” Koeppel wants to stay involved with the school.
Koeppel claims that people should vote for her because “I have 3 years of experience in leadership, as well as 2 years of involvement in [student government].”
Her goals and plans are “to help the rest of my class office candidates and work together to complete tasks given to me.”
The impact Koeppel wants to have on the school is to “help people feel welcome to come help our class out.” She doesn’t want people to feel left out because, in her eyes, “everyone deserves to help and have a say in what we do.”
Junior Class Candidates
Running for Junior Class President is Sophomore Olivia Knight, who hopes to help make the campus more welcoming and exciting for all students. She plans to improve the school community by “creating more school events such as rallies, fundraisers, fun competitions, and more!”
Additionally, Knight believes she has the skills to make sure her ideas get through: “I listen to others, I’m organized, and I’m not afraid to take action to turn ideas into real events.”
Olivia Knight thinks people should vote for her for Class President because she truly cares about improving the school environment for everyone, and she believes she is someone who can “Listen to your ideas and act on them.”
Sophomore Jace Wollitz is in the running for Junior Class President as well. He said he is running because “I want to help my Junior class with our events such as Homecoming, Prom, and other events on campus.”
Wollitz said his goals and plans for next year are to “win Homecoming for the Juniors, and have fun at Prom, Homecoming, and everything else we do.” He continued, “I want to make sure that if any Juniors feel left out, they can come to me and we can help them be involved.”
He told UHS News that people should vote for him because, “I’ve helped a lot throughout the years, and I want to show my student body why I should be in charge and help our class thrive.”
Wollitz closed with the kind of impact he wants to leave on the school: “I just want people to think they can turn to me whenever they’re down, whether it’s serious or unserious, just come to me, and I’ll try to help.”
Sophomore Atenea Rico is running unopposed for Junior Vice President. She said people should vote for her because “I want to have a say in what goes on in my class.”
Rico said her goals and plans for next year are “to raise lots of money to be able to afford a nice prom, and to make all my fellow Wildcats feel welcome.”
She said people should vote for her because “I’m very organized and when I say I’m going to do something I will do it.” She continued, “I’m a good choice to help our president represent our class, so that we can have another good year.”
Rico closed with the kind of impact she wants to have on campus. “I want to help everyone feel included, whether that’s with Homecoming or in everyday life. I just want everyone to feel safe on campus.”
Sophomore Dana Cabada is running for Junior Class Secretary because “I like to be involved, and I feel like I can take other people’s opinions into consideration.” She continued, “I’ll try to make it so that the students at UHS feel more involved.”
Cabada’s goals for next year are “To just make the school fun and a safe place for students, and that everybody can have a say, and students who don’t really like to engage in campus activities will want to be involved.”
She said people should vote for her because “I’ll take their opinions into consideration and I just want to make a change and make school better than it already is.”
She told the UHS News Team the impact she wants to have is “A good one that leaves a big impression, and hopefully makes the school a better place.”
Sophomore Lucien Thies is also running for Junior Class Secretary. He is running because “I have a lot of good leadership, and I bring a lot of energy to the warehouse. I usually run the skits, so I feel like I’d be a good fit for that.”
In response to why students should give him their vote, he said, “Because I’m Lucian. I’m funny, I’m outgoing, I’m smart, I’m very hard working, and I’m positive.”
Thies shared that his goals are “to get the spirit bell, help our class do the best we can, and make everything look good.” Most of all, he wants everyone to have a good time and to be able to “participate in everything they want to.”
Sophomore Alexa Galicia is running for Junior Class Treasurer because she wants to be more “involved in the community.”
Alexa expressed that the impact she wants to have is “To make sure everyone feels included and has a chance to enjoy our junior year, Homecoming, and prom. And as treasurer, I want to make sure our money is used to benefit us.”
She explained, “I also like to be a part of Homecoming, and I am responsible and organized, so I would be good at managing funds and money.” Alexa said she would be a great candidate because “I’m responsible and trustworthy, and I take things seriously.”
When voting for Junior class treasurer, Alexa Galicia said she is the best candidate because she is “organized and will manage the class funds responsibly.”
Sophomore Class Candidates
Freshman Eleanor Ceccarelli is running for Sophomore Class President. She explained, “I want to run to improve the outcome of Homecoming–float, lip sync, etc.–as well as improving the levels of inclusivity throughout […], especially during times of group decisions.”
She expressed that her main goal is to “make the overall school year fun.” She adds, “which includes managing Homecoming in an organized manner–rules, planned ideas, meetings, etc.–and also having more activities throughout the year, such as activities in the Tri and Quad.”
Ceccarelli told the UHS News Team that people should vote for her because she “plans things ahead of time to ensure the best outcomes.” She added, “I always get things done before a deadline, and I make sure that last-minute things aren’t something people should have to worry about.”
She concluded, “The impact I want to have on students next school year is to have them live more in the moment, forget about their phones, and just focus on the fun they’re having. I believe if I can accomplish that as an impact on others, then I believe I did my job right.”
Cassandra Damian, a UHS freshman, is also running for the position of Sophomore President. She is running because “I want to make positive changes and responsibly represent my class.”
Damian said her goals for next year are “To improve school events like Homecoming, and make them more fun and organized.” She continued, “and I want to listen to students’ ideas so more people feel included.”
She said people should vote for her as vice president because “I’m responsible, I care about making school better, and I will actually listen to what students want.”
Damian closed with the impact she hopes to have on UHS: “I want to make school more fun and positive by helping plan events and making sure everyone feels included.”
Freshman Nathan Cohen is running for Sophomore Vice President. He wants to run so he can “organize school events.”
Cohen’s Goals are “to improve Homecoming and help to improve school events.”
He said people should vote for him because “I’m qualified for this position.”
He closed with the kind of impact he would like to have as vice president: “I want to have a positive lasting impact on the school and my fellow students.”
Freshman Collyn Lawson is running for Sophomore Class Secretary. He explained that he is running because, “I want to be involved with the school more.”
Lawson believes that people should vote for him because “I’m a responsible person who always gets their work done on time.”
He expressed that the impact he wants to have is “To make the students feel better at school about the environment and safety.”
Freshman Ryder Worley is also running for Sophomore Class Secretary. He wants to run so that “I can make a better Homecoming experience this year and create a better environment for everyone to be included, so the situation of being left out is no longer an option.”
Worley shared that the impact he wants to leave on UHS is, “having [Wildcats] feel as if they have a place here at Ukiah High School, as well as creating a fun environment for all.”
He plans “to do as much as possible to help ensure that all students will be heard and be able to feel comfortable talking in a group setting.”
Worley concluded by stating that people should vote for him because “I will ensure that all will have a chance to participate in activities in Homecoming if they so choose.”
Freshman Noe Saldona, a candidate for Sophomore Class Treasurer, is running because “I feel like I’m good at handling money, and I’m good at calling businesses and asking them for donations.”
Saldona’s top priority is “to call as many businesses as I can to get donations, tools, and whatnot.”
He thinks people should vote for him because he is good at handling money and managing time. He wishes to have “a good impact on the school and the students, and for them to have a good time.”
Also running for Sophomore Class Treasurer is Freshman Everestt Zhang, who is running because “I want to serve as the class treasurer to help our class make thoughtful, transparent financial decisions that benefit all sophomores and make sure our class funds are used responsibly and effectively.”
The impact Zhang wants to have on the Sophomore class is “to make our budgeting clear and transparent, so students understand where funds are going and feel included in decisions, and organize creative fundraisers to benefit our class while bringing the community together.”
She believes that Wildcats should vote for her because “I have experience in finance, as I’ve been the treasurer of the Ukiah Shamrocks 4-H club for the past two years, and have taken a few highly acclaimed classes to help increase my financial literacy. I would really appreciate your consideration!”
Everyone’s voice matters, and if you want yours to be heard, be sure to vote this week on Minga!
