Student Government Association Elects Freshman President

Joshlyn Guzman, J1 Staff Writer

The Student Government Association (SGA) is a group of students who influence the Paint Branch community from students to staff. The group holds fundraisers and organizes school activities such as homecoming, pep rallies, and spirit week banners. In a way, the SGA is the voice of students who inspire change in our community.

SGA positions include: president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Every year, the school holds elections in the spring for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade. It holds an election for ninth grade just after the start of the school year. This year, freshman Jawad Malik won the election for president for the class of 2021.

President-elect Jawad stated, “I want to be the change I want to see in the school.  I also accept suggestions from my peers who helped me get to where I am.”

In preparation for the election, Malik focused on writing his speech to convince his peers that he was fit for the task. Malik previously attended Benjamin Banneker Middle School where he actively participated in helping organize school dances and assemblies, something he thought would help make him a good candidate.

During the election process,  Malik demonstrated his character to his peers including sending  out digital flyers rather than the  traditional hard copies. “The digital copies Jawad sent out greatly impacted votes and showed he was innovative,” said Sim Denenke, a freshmen who voted for Malik.

The SGA meets daily. However, some members are bound to miss meetings due to their involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities. Day-to-day, Malik hears suggestions and listens to questions from classmates on topics such as homecoming themes and “when’s the pep rally?” Malik tries to take everything into consideration and discusses what the freshman class needs and wants with other members of the SGA.