Last week, Chamblee High School held its annual student elections. Of course, these include elections for grade-specific student government positions, such as class president, vice president, and secretary, but also for student body representatives, which can be voted upon by all CCHS students regardless of year. Usually, these positions are unofficially reserved for seniors, but this year, two juniors ran for student body positions, which was met with some opposition from older classmates, who believed those positions should be held by older students in their final year of high school. 

“I feel like some of the seniors didn’t like us running,” said Alex Jovanovic, the junior candidate for student body president.

Jovanovic and Joanna Louis-Ugbo, the latter of whom ended up winning the student body vice president race, didn’t believe the convention of senior exclusivity was reasonable.

“I understand that, you know, it’s your last year and you still want to run, but I think [the position] should go to the person that is the most qualified for the job […] not saying that any of the candidates this year were not qualified,” said Louis-Ugbo. “I just don’t like that rule, it’s not an actual rule, but a lot of people use that justification to say, like ‘Oh, just because I’m a senior I have to get this position.’”

Jovanovic echoed her point, saying that the races should be merit-based above all else.

“I agree with Joanna completely, I mean, it’s not a ‘year’ thing, it should be truly based on, like, how much time you put in, if you’re qualified for the position,” he said. “I feel like people shouldn’t judge on your grade. […] Basically, if you’ve been involved in SGA and you have the qualifications to lead the student body, you should be able to run.”

The juniors not only thought their class was qualified to run, but Jovanovic also proposed reasons why he and Louis-Ugbowere particularly good fits for leadership positions.

“I think we’re both very qualified, Joanna and I have been in student government, I mean, since freshman year and even before. We understand how student government works, we’ve been here […] almost every meeting, we’ve always been the first ones to volunteer to do stuff,” he said. “I think it’s people like that, if you’re really invested in the club, or if you’re really invested, like, in promoting our school, I think that balances out the age difference.”

Louis-Ugbo also added that she and Jovanovic offered unique advantages.

“Compared to the seniors this year, we have more, like, knowledge of how the underclassmen are feeling. […] It would be easier for us, if we were in office, to make […] decisions based on the whole student body, because we already know how they’re feeling,” she said. “In SGA, it’s like a power struggle between, like, the underclassmen and the upperclassmen, and so all the underclassmen […] know how each other are feeling, and it would be easier for us to be officers, because we already know how they’re feeling.”

Jovanovic and Louis-Ugbo’s opponents saw their own advantages as seniors who were older and more experienced, but recognized their opponents’ merits as well.

“I think yes, [being a senior is advantageous], because I have been involved in a lot of clubs all four years of high school, and because of that, I know I can interact with the student body,” said Ayushi Mukund, the senior candidate for vice president. “But I definitely know, like, one year can’t be all much of a difference compared to, like, three years, but I think maybe it might give me an edge, because I thought the same thing in my underclassmen years, like, yeah, a senior seems qualified for that, but now that I’ve aged, I’ve realized, no, you can get more qualified as the years go on.”

Kelly Ramos, the senior candidate and eventual victor of the presidential race, agreed that a one-year difference doesn’t always equate to a significant gap in qualifications.

“I’ve been involved [in SGA] since my freshman year because I’m a very busy person, and I like being involved, and I don’t like to be in the back, or just, like, sitting around doing nothing, you know, so I just feel like I have more experience,” said Kelly Ramos, who was later elected as the student body president. “But […] even if you’re a junior, like, you can have a lot of experience as well, I just feel like I’m president for other clubs as well, so I, kind of, know leadership skills and all that.” 

Despite being surprised by Jovanovic and Louis-Ugbo’s running, the senior candidates seemed encouraged by the competition of juniors, rather than disgruntled by the younger students’ campaigns.

“I won’t lie, I was very surprised when I saw their names,” said Mukund. “But, I was glad that they did run, because competition’s always healthy, and Joanna is definitely some good competition, and I know she’s qualified for the job.”

Ramos felt similarly toward her opponent.

“I knew no senior was running against me, […] and I was very surprised when Alexander said that he was running, because I just didn’t know he was,” said Ramos. “But like Ayushi said, I think competition is great, and it’s awesome, because it motivates you […] to do better.”

Both juniors expressed appreciation for the seniors’ helpfulness and friendliness during the race. 

“That’s one thing I really liked about this election, especially with Kelly, and Ayushi too. Kelly was really, really, like, sweet about juniors running, she never said, ‘Oh because I’m a senior I have to win this position,’” said Louis-Ugbo. “She talked to me about campaign strategies, she posted my [campaign ad] on her story. […] I thought it was going to be a lot, like, more hostile than it was. […] Both of them were very, very sweet and both of them weren’t like […] ‘Oh, why are juniors running in the first place.’”

“All the senior candidates who were running were very supportive,” said Jovanovic. “I believe that they understood that it doesn’t matter what grade you’re in, what truly matters is if you have the experience and determination to make this school a better place.”