Ava Ori
Junior Ava Ori also hopes to include more students and excite them about the Student Government process. “It’s a really special thing that we get to do, and the only way we can make the most of it is if everyone’s included,” Ori said. “Often, the Cabinet seems to have this mentality that if we want to get something done right, we have to do it ourselves, and I think the only way to do it right as President is to get the opinion of as many people as you can.”
Ori’s platform consists of three main goals: diversifying the people on stage, improving the overall efficiency of meetings, and reuniting the Student Body.
Ori hopes to achieve the first goal through proposal-brainstorms in Graderoom at the beginning of the year. “When more people are involved, more people care,” Ori said. “For a lot of us, Student Government is low on our list of priorities. When you aren’t directly involved, the topics in plenary can feel worlds away.”
To improve Student Government’s efficiency, Ori will create strong schedules and tweak the small groups system. Ori will work with the Executive Advisor to train leaders who are prepared to answer questions and stimulate conversation.
Ori also hopes to instill a sense of community through Student Government, whether she leads plenary from the auditorium or a Zoom call. “When we meet again, we’re going to be a fractured student body,” Ori said. “An approachable, outgoing president will be vital as we work on bringing ourselves back together.”
Ori wants the Senate to share a recap of the previous four Senates with the Student Body during plenary once a month. “Sometimes proposals halt because each week is a new topic, so this will make the Senate Heads share everything they’ve done and pick and choose what to pursue,” Ori said. “It would be really valuable for students to hear everything that is happening in Senate, even if they don’t go.”
While Ori lost last year’s Senate election, she has continued to attend every week and hopes that she can use what she has learned as a Senate Representative to represent the Student Body. “The Senate is one of the most exciting things because people who aren’t confident to stand up get to really say what they mean,” Ori said. “You need to get everyone involved to get everyone’s opinions.”
Ori also draws much of her leadership experience from her positions outside of Student Government and the time she spent working on the Art Credit Proposal this year. “I made the proposal, figured out how to do it, worked through kinks by myself without the Cabinet behind me,” Ori said. “Not everyone is excited about things as I am, and I want to help people work through their issues.”
Ori believes her experience co-leading the Girls Field Hockey team and the Berkowitz Committee makes her qualified. “In field hockey, it’s hard to connect people who care so much and who don’t, and making them work together for one common goal,” Ori said. “Co-leading Berkowitz has helped me learn about making decisions with the administration, and I’ve learned to talk to an administrator on behalf of a group of people.”
As the election approaches, Ori encourages voters to choose a candidate who will reunite the students and take them further than they were this year. “I am that person,” Ori said. “I am the president who will walk into Cabinet meetings on Tuesday morning with excitement and Senate meetings on Wednesday with an open mind so that everyone can walk into plenary on Friday expecting greatness.”