On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the new Class of 2029 president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, historian and social chair were revealed. These officers are responsible for representing their entire class. They take concerns or suggestions from students and represent them at meetings. If approved, the officer board will work to turn that idea into reality. 

First up is Lisa Feng, the Class of 2029 president. Her job is to lead the class and plan different activities and events. She wanted this role because she had many ideas that could help benefit her classmates. 

To prepare for the election, Feng made a poster for students to take pictures with. She described feeling excited and grateful when the results were announced, and said she strongly believes her previous role in the Boy Scouts helped prepare her for leadership. Her goals are to make the upcoming school year fun and spirited with the goal of upholding strong school participation from her and the rest of her classmates. 

“I think everyone should try not to worry so much about the future and just focus on the present moment,” Feng said. “You should do what you are interested in and are passionate about.” 

Next, is Justin Huo as vice president. His role is to help organize class events like poster paintings, fundraising events and class committee meetings. He also helps answer students’ questions about school events or class events. Huo exclaimed he wanted the role so that he could represent his classmates’ concerns and grow as a leader. As the former ASB president at Chaparral Middle School, he was already familiar with leadership responsibilities, and hopes to carry those over into his newest role as the Class of ‘29 VP. 

During his campaign, he received a lot of support and met many new people on campus. When runoffs took place, he was nervous but confident in his campaign. When he received the news that he officially got the role, he was excited to begin his plans on working with the other class officers to organize events. 

“High school is what kind of grows you into the person you are,” Huo said. “I have great memories—some learning experiences and some that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.” 

The secretary/treasurer for the youngest Brahma class is Denise Dong, whose responsibilities range from taking notes at meetings, supervising poster paintings, and raising money for the class account through a variety of fundraisers. Dong wanted the position to help others on campus and to support the Class of 2029 as a whole. Her volunteer work outside of school helped her gain experience with managing different groups of people which she hopes will support her in this new role.

Throughout campaign week, she met new people and connected with the other candidates; seeing everyone’s campaigns motivated her to be more confident and less afraid of rejection. When the results were announced, Dong exclaimed she was ecstatic to see her hard work had paid off and earned her this exciting new role during her first year of high school. Her future plans include having more fundraising events and managing the class’s Instagram account. 

“I hope by doing this I will continue to learn new skills while getting closer to my class advisors and fellow officers,” Dong said. 

Next down the line of officer board members is Jacqueline Ruiz as the newest class historian. Her main duties include helping coordinate events by posting on the Class of 2029 Instagram and capturing memorable moments throughout the year as a class through visual works such as pictures and videos. She said she wanted the position to become a class officer to be more involved around the campus. 

Leading up to the election, Ruiz focused on building name recognition. During campaign week, she made posters and handed out sunglasses to students. Although she felt nervous during voting, she remained optimistic and hoped for the best. When the results were announced, she said she was thrilled that she had won as historian. 

“You don’t realize the value of a moment until it becomes a memory,” Ruiz said. “Don’t take your high school years for granted!”

Finally, Belinda Li serves as social chair. She is a voting member of the Inter Organizational Council (IOC) and reports all activities to the class council. She also submits activity requests and oversees the committees for class events. Li wanted to run for the role because she enjoys bringing people together and ensuring everyone around feels included.

During campaign week, Li heavily utilized social media to spread her message amongst her peers. Although she felt shy and stressed, she was determined to put herself out there as much as possible in order to advertise her campaign. When the news was revealed, she said her initial reaction was pure shock and disbelief.

“By the time we graduate, I hope the student body will look back and say we didn’t just get through high school together, but built a community together,” Li said.