Every president leaves a legacy that he or she will later be remembered by. A short while ago via email, I interviewed Paly’s newly elected ASB President, sophomore Mohammed Abid, who is sowing the seeds of his first term. Here is what he had to say about his experiences so far:
AB: I know that you think people are making a big deal about a sophomore winning the election for ASB President, but doesn’t it have any personal meaning for you?
MA: Winning ASB President is meaningful for me because it is an important position that despite being a lot of work, is accompanied by a lot of good things. I think the only way it is more meaningful for me is that I broke the tradition that seniors are ASB Presidents, but if that tradition was meant to be upheld from the beginning, then the original student council members wouldn’t have allowed freshman, sophomores or juniors to run. Since I fulfilled the prerequisites, winning alone was meaningful to me.
AB: What do you want the student body to know about you?
MA: I’d like the student body to know that I’m putting a lot of effort into this. I’m asking students for ideas about how to improve the school, and I’ve gotten some really good ideas that I plan on following through with. Also, I’d like the student body to know that even though I’m younger than the typical ASB President, I do have the skills needed to fulfill my tasks and duties at an optimal level.
AB: What are your main objectives?
MA: My main objectives include working alongside Kolby [ASB Vice President] to host great lunch time activities and after-school rallies. I would also like to see an electronic monitor, like the one on the corner of El Camino and Embarcadero, be placed on the Quad. There are other minor improvements, like putting up mirrors in some of the bathrooms that don’t have them.
Student council is also working on holding a wonderful end of the year dance and prom. We are also looking into increasing the number of dances that will be held next year. One of the biggest objectives is to hold a succesful election and hopefully see our election system implemented in years to come.
AB: What traditions do you plan to uphold?
MA: I plan on upholding all the traditions that make Paly great. The tradition of Paly greatness in regards to studies, athletics, music, etc. Student council will do everything in our power to improve on this tradition and to uphold it, whether it be reducing stress by doing something minor like passing out stress balls, or holding rallies to support our athletics and music programs.
AB: In your opinion, how is the communication between the student council and the rest of the student body?
MA: As of now, I think the line of communication between student council and the rest of the student body is very weak, and rest assured that student council will change that. We know that a lot of the students don’t know what student council does and how to reach us, but student council is working on changing this.
AB: Do you think the recent all-school rally was successful?
MA: I think the all-school rally was succesful despite minor problems. The sound system was a problem, but that was beyond our control. Student council will look into changing the sound system. We were also looking to have a dunk contest during halftime, but the basketball team didn’t have their equipment. Other than that, the student-staff basketball game was awesome. The dance team and chearleaders had great performances as well. The gym was packed and most people seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
AB: What’s your take on the recent hate crimes at Paly? Is student government taking any action regarding such issues?
MA: I completely disapprove of the recent hate crimes at Paly. Paly is a wonderful environment and it’s a shame that something like this happened. Student government is definitely taking action regarding such issues. A couple of weeks ago, four student council representatives, including myself, attended a GSA meeting where we asked GSA members how they think student council can help in eliminating hate crimes and were able to give our support to the GSA.
In the future, student council will hopefully take some of those suggestions that the GSA gave us and our own ideas as well, and follow through with them in order to eliminate hate crimes at Paly.
AB: How do you feel about speaking at the senior graduation?
MA: Well, for now I’m not sure if I will speak at senior graduation. I plan on discussing this with Anique and Mrs. Vaars and coming up with something that the seniors would enjoy.
AB: Do you plan on running in future years?
MA: I don’t know if I plan on running in future years. I’m leaning towards running again, but I’m not sure whether I would run this year or next year. Only time will tell. However, I do plan on staying close to student council and remaining involved whether or not I run.