*Editor’s Note: On Wednesday, May 3, the annual Student Government Association Form Representative elections will commence for the rising 4th, 5th, and 6th formers. Candidates have submitted statements and will participate in a debate followed by a class vote. Please see their statements below.

Guiding questions:

• Why do you want to run for the SGA? What do you hope to achieve?
• What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates?
• What can you bring to the SGA?
• If you haven’t run before, why now?

Class of 2026

Richard Liu ’26

It is an absolute honor to run alongside all the talented candidates running for 4th Form representative for the 2023-2024 school year. I also want to express my undying gratitude toward all of you for choosing me as your third-form representative. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to realize change as part of the SGA.

I want to run for SGA to be the voice of my peers, the voice of my form, and the voice of this school. Hill has changed me so much since I stepped foot onto this campus in September of last year. I want to run to express my gratitude toward this community that has changed so much about me. I want to make Hill a better place for everyone. Where everyone can feel the same impact and have over the upcoming school year. If elected, I hope to continue my efforts of improving student life, from the expansion of form activities to an improvement of day student integration. I hope to achieve a closer connection between the student body and the SGA through better transparency through meetings and better communication.

As someone who has spent most of his middle school years at a junior preparatory school with the likes of Hill, I bring extensive experience of the issues and needs of student life to the SGA. This includes dorm life, student well-being, weekend activities, and so much more. My experiences in middle school and leadership background provide a unique advantage to my decision-making that makes me stand out from the rest of the candidates. I’ve led several community services programs in China over the past few years. I was the co-founder and leader of the MUN club in my old school. I’ve also had extensive experience with Hill leadership through my role in the SGA. I’ve had the opportunity to write proposals, discuss with administration about potential proposals, organize class events, and help in the special co-presidential election.

I have a profound understanding of the inner workings of the SGA through the time I’ve spent as 3rd form representative. Through the proposals, emails, and direct meetings I’ve had with the leaders of the SGA. Spending time with all the other senators and presidents has helped me understand the dynamic of working together with leadership. Being the 3rd form SGA representative has been one of my favorite experiences this year. I take great pride in being able to witness and participate in the change student leadership can bring to Hill. I’m an experienced and capable leader who would continue being the voice of my form if elected as the 4th form SGA representative.

Sincerely,

Richard Liu

Shane Duo ’26

When I arrived at the Hill school, I saw a crowd of unfamiliar faces. I was nervous about the journey I chose to embark on. As we are getting ever closer to the end of our freshmen year, it truly is incredible how far we’ve come, but more importantly, how much more we can achieve as a form. I am running for SGA because over the past year, Hill has become my home, and I aim to preserve and uphold the essence of the Hill School. I hope to maintain the feeling of Hill with all of its amazing traditions and to foster a sense of community and togetherness. I have many goals in mind, and I believe that with all of your support, we can achieve these goals. Firstly, I’d like to discuss the academic schedule. As we transition into our sophomore year, our high school experience will only become more stressful, and inconsistencies in the schedule certainly do not benefit us or the students that come after us. I plan on voicing this concern to the SGA if elected. Secondly, I’d like to address day students. As I am an international student, I understand the difficulties of feeling disconnected in a community, which I plan on paying attention to as your representative. One such example is the gap between boarder and day student lives. I aim to provide day students with equal opportunities and hope to get more involved in integrating all students. I will ensure the voice of day students are heard in the SGA, and they are properly represented.

After moving between 5 different schools, I’ve been accustomed to adapting into new environments. It is evident that Hill is transitioning into another era as we welcome our new head of school, Ms. Devaney. Additionally, each boarder is moving to the Foster or Rolfe dorms, and this drastic change in lifestyle will certainly cause difficulties to arise. Both of these will be big adjustments for our grade. I hope to make this transitional period easier for everyone, as I will use my past experiences to best aid our grade with the change in academic and social environment. Lastly, I aim to bring more transparent communication between the SGA and the student body. As I’ve communicated with various SGA representatives, it is clear they play a significant role in our community. They carry the tremendous responsibility of voicing the entire student body. My goal is to make communication between the SGA and the student body easier and more accessible to everyone. I hope to accomplish this through emails detailing updates, possible events, and by being open to feedback from anyone. As SGA, I hope to make the Hill community closer than ever and show the true possibilities of the family boarding school.

Ayaan Rege ’26

Dear Rising 4th Formers,
My name is Ayaan Rege, and I am running for the position of 4th form SGA representative for the 2023-2024 year. The esteemed position of form representative is undoubtedly among the most powerful positions on campus, and I believe that my current leadership skills, coupled with my previous experience in leadership positions are exactly what our form needs in Student Government representation. Upon publicly declaring my candidacy, many inquired as to why I was running, to which the answer is simple. I want to represent our form and ensure that we (as a form) are able to remain aligned with the policies and initiatives of the rest of the school, while simultaneously empowering change within our form and the community as a whole.

My goal of being a part of the SGA isn’t simply to acquire a neat title or check off a box on a college resume. SGA is the essence of a school, and especially in a school like Hill, SGA is the foundation of representation and respect. As your 4th form SGA representative, I would work extensively to not only ensure the genuine representation of our form but also to maintain transparency between the Student Government and the Student Body, reinforcing the relationship between them, while simultaneously fabricating an environment that allows each and every student’s voice to be heard.

I believe what differentiates me from my fellow candidates is my dedication. Those of you who know me know that I always put 101% effort into everything that I do, ranging from Academics all the way to J-ball. With such a powerful role in the form of an SGA representative, I believe that a skill like dedication is key to not only ensuring the success of the organization but even further, the success of the school as a whole. In addition to dedication, I also possess an abundance of leadership skills including communication, empathy, initiative, and most importantly the ability to listen. Also, as the class president of my old school, I was able to master the skills of leadership in a Student Government setting. The main question surrounding my candidacy is “Why are you running now since you
didn’t run before?” To this, my answer is that I simply needed time. The first few weeks of school were very overwhelming, to say the least, and I wasn’t comfortable enough with the new environment and people to create an effective campaign. As time has progressed though, I have undoubtedly been able to get acclimated to the extraordinary academic and athletic environments and bonded significantly with the wonderful community here. As a result of my newfound acquaintances, I have not only been able to understand the various strengths of our community, but also the potential weaknesses, for which I have ideas on how to reform.

To summarize, as your 4th form SGA representative, it would be my goal to effectively represent our form, by ensuring that the students, teachers and faculty could work efficiently to maintain the positive, friendly and nurturing environment that this family boarding school has preserved for so long.

Arul Jindal ’26

I want to run for SGA because I believe that I can effectively represent the students of the class of 2026. I can relate to the problems that we all face daily and am willing to fight for the solution to these problems.

The job of an SGA Senator is to listen to the form and use their influence to relay these ideas to the rest of SGA. And that is exactly what I want to do as an SGA Senator. I will bring clear communication between SGA and the 4th form student body. The ideas that you have will be relayed to SGA, and the results of these ideas will be relayed back to you. Clear communication is something that the SGA is lacking, and I will work hard to solve this problem.

More than just this, I want to make Hill feel like home. After all, we are the Family Boarding School. I will prioritize the importance of mental health and take the initiative to make Hill a safe place for all by working with SAMH.

As a day student, I can understand the unique problems that this group of students go through. Day students are often found to be inadequately represented, and I believe that this should change.

At the beginning of my 3rd form year, I had the opportunity to run for SGA and decided not to. At the time, I was still getting to know how things worked at Hill. Now I am not only comfortable at Hill, but I also gained a lot of confidence as a person. I am ready to put SGA at the very top of my priorities and make the visions of our school a reality.

Nathan Han ’26

Hi, my name is Nathan and as a rising 4th former I am running for the position of the 4th form SGA representative. I believe that I will have a meaningful change and perspective to the hill community if elected. I am a dedicated, hard-working, and a strong believer in doing the absolute best you can in anything that you do. I apply these values to myself inside the classroom and during any activity I take part in and will continue to do so with this position in the school. During my time here at Hill, I have created connections with both the boarders and day students. With the connections that I have made I believe that I can share a whole new perspective on the SGA community and make meaningful changes to the already implemented guidelines that Hill has been providing us with. I can suggest ideas and suggestions that I get from these different perspectives to make valuable changes to this school, such as having more activities that encourage more day students to come to campus and attend them. If I am elected, I will try my best to improve how community ideas can be implemented towards changes to the community. I want to help bring forth ideas that are struggling to be heard to make impactful changes to this community. I did not run last year because I was new to the school, and I wanted to explore what Hill and what SGA has to offer and to find ways to bring more valuable things to what the current SGA has done this year.

Leon Zhou ’26

1.Why do you want to run for the SGA? What do you hope to achieve?

The role of an SGA representative is not only to idly listen to their peers. It is to act upon and empower the whispers of those they serve and transform them into action. Action. 

There is a clear consensus among students at Hill that the role of “SGA representative” is simply a phantom position, and I agree. As your SGA representative, I will not merely act as a proxy for those who reach out, but rather be a proactive leader in pursuing the demands of my peers, proactively reaching out to explore the opinions of all those around me. 

I hope to reform the role of the cabinet and advocate for more power for all student representatives. With this change, I will implement the propositions many of you and I have envisioned, including the removal of antiquated traditions, a fairer dress code and more form gatherings.

2. What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates?

I am confident that Hill will be in safe hands under the leadership of any one of my fellow candidates. However, I believe they lack a trait I wield: boldness. While boldness can be feigned in empty promises, I express mine through initiative. I am not an appeaser; I will never hesitate to fight for what my peers and I believe in, even given the resistances of faculty.

3. What can you bring to the SGA? 

I am not competing for this position in order to “give back” to the Hill community. I am not running for this position to grant empty promises. I am fighting this position to grant myself and those in my position as much influence as possible. 

Hear me out: in order for any student representative to make headway, they need the resources for that to be possible, whether it be increased autonomy or financial aid. With the introduction of our new head of school, Mrs. Devaney, I wish to collaborate with her to streamline the chain of command, allowing for all student representatives such as myself to be able to implement solutions as efficiently as possible.

4. If you haven’t run before, why now?

With the upcoming change in administration, I believe that it is crucial for the student body to be well connected and communicate our beliefs actively. Additionally, many of the proposals raised last year fizzled out quickly, and each scheduled meeting between form representatives seemed to be viewed as extraneous. As your representative, I vow to resolve the jutting issues that impedes the SGA’s abilities in conjunction with our new head of school, amending the damage caused by former years of inactivity. 

Avery Cohen ’26

Hi! I’m Avery Cohen, a rising fourth-form boarding student from Nova Scotia, Canada. After spending almost a year at Hill, it made me realize how much I want to make an impact. If I learned one important lesson this year, it was that I regret not running for the Class of 2026 representative earlier. As I have gained more confidence, and began finding my place at Hill, I realized this is where I belong. Hill has become my home, and it is my mission to make this place feel like home for everyone else. I believe I provide a unique perspective, being an international student. I understand the feeling of being away from your family and home, which is why I try so hard to bring a sense of home and comfort to everyone I interact with. Ultimately, I want to leave my mark at this school and be an active member of our community. I want to give back to this community and continue to make it a better place. You can always approach me whether you see me on the ice, in the classroom, on the stage, or in the dining hall. I am extremely involved in Hill’s community, which helps me gain even more understanding of our form and my surroundings. Something that sets me apart from others is my enthusiasm and commitment to the things I care about. I genuinely want to be here, and I put my best into everything I do. As your SGA representative, I will always give my best effort and want what’s best for our form. I have worked hard to develop relationships with classmates and faculty members. Having formed these relationships, I can act as a bridge of communication between the student body and faculty. While I’m a good verbal and written communicator, I’m also a great listener. I believe communication is more than just speaking. I will actively listen to everyone’s voice and take every single person into consideration. If you know me, you know that you can speak to me about almost anything. I listen with no judgment. I will strive to create realistic ideas and events, such as more form socials, weekend activities, better dorm snacks, and more day student involvement. Although I can’t promise changes to the dress code, breakfast check-in, and other traditions and strict policies, I do promise to give a consistent effort to make changes as they serve appropriately. I can promise I will always do everything in my power to better understand and represent everyone in our form. I pride myself on being a realistic, transparent, and self-aware person, which I know will transfer into my role as an SGA representative. Between my enthusiasm, commitment, organization, and empathy, I can bring a lot to the SGA, and I will do everything I can to make our Hill experience memorable.

Ella Ross ’26

Why do you want to run for SGA? What do you hope to achieve?

Helping people has always been a given. Throughout my high school and middle school experiences, I have always been a loud advocate for myself and other voices in my hometown and school community. I strived for change and awareness for all members, and I still do. Disregarding being involved in student government, I will always use my voice as an advocate for others. Whether it regards smaller, more
personal issues or larger-scale issues, Becoming a senator would open up more opportunities for me to be a strong and loud voice for the Hill community, ensuring safety and equal opportunity for all. We are all going through major changes, and reassurance is necessary as we build an accepting and equal opportunity environment, especially for first-year students. As a senator, I would work to cultivate an inclusive and positive atmosphere for the Class of 2026. As a devoted and kind-hearted person, I will gladly use my communicative and leadership skills to improve your Hill experience by representing the Class of 2026. As a student body, I believe that we can make a difference, and hopefully I will be able to help lead the start of an amazing sophomore year for the class of ‘26 if elected.

What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates?

What makes me stand out is generally my communicative abilities. Communication is a key asset when
it comes to the SGA candidates. I believe that with communication comes trust, and trust is the foundation
of any organization. Throughout the year, I have grown and learned. Through many mistakes as well as
much trial and error, I have been able to come out a stronger individual. Throughout my Hill experience, I
have been able to gain knowledge of many different aspects of religion, race, and cultural heritage
through the amazing people I have been lucky enough to surround myself with. Having these
relationships allows me to find a more empathetic viewpoint on a diverse range of situations pertaining to
current issues in SGA. The key asset I believe I can implement into SGA is a sense of fun and
lightheartedness. Hill has many rules as well as a rigorous academic schedule. All of which can cause
tremendous stress for students. My main goal is to be an outlet for the student body’s ideas. I want to
make this coming year one of the best yet. I believe this is possible with the ideas and concepts many
students will provide to the SGA in the following year. The best moments on Hill are when we all come
together and enjoy the wonderful school; we worked so hard to be able to go too. Creating time to soak in
the beautiful campus and its architecture is necessary, whether that pertains to more bonfires, cookouts,
dorm games, or even grade events that are ultimately enjoyed by the student body as a whole. I hope I
will be able to implement the change necessary for the 4th form to prosper and continue to grow as
free-thinkers and key assets to the Hill community overall.

What can you bring to the SGA?

I believe the foundation of any organization is trust and transparency. Throughout this entire school year,
I have made it my mission to be completely transparent with those around me, and being in SGA will
only heighten that ability. My goal is to serve my peers and present pressing issues to those above me to
make those changes. With my past experience as a freshman SGA, I believe I have the qualifications to
take on this task. I will bring a fresh perspective and innovative ideas. All together, we make up the class
of ‘26. Many of us have the ability to provide ideas that will leave marks on Hill for many years to come,
and I am here to implement those ideas. I am here to guide opinions and be a friendly face you feel
comfortable disclosing any information to. I am not here to dictate what you view or what you want
done, but rather to create an environment that allows you to find an escape from academics or
extracurriculars. My mission is to give the fourth form tools for success. whether that is to add more
events to unify our grade as a whole or to help create a relaxing common space that is outside of the
dorms. Overall, Hill and the people surrounding it are changing every year. New rules are being
implemented, and a new generation of students is soon to take over. Hill should be an environment that is
open to change and improvement. The change needed begins with SGA, and if elected as your 2023–2024
candidate, I will improve the changes needed in Hill for future and present students to prosper.

If you haven’t run before, why now?

I have previously run for SGA this past year. Although I did not get elected, I have grown and learned a
lot from that experience. My connections with my peers have only grown since the beginning of the
school year, as have my qualifications for this position.

Srinidhi Pasumarthy ’26

Hello,

My name is Srinidhi Pasumarthy, and I am the current 3rd Form SGA Representative, and I am casting my re-election bid. First, I want to start my candidate statement by saying that I am honored to have served as your current class representative and fellow peer. 

Congrats! We are near to completing our first year at Hill. We arrived here as strangers, and now we are family. We took the first step in our long journey to adulthood, and in these 142 days, we have grown a lot. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to lead us all through this critical journey of our life. We have made bonds that have set the foundation for lifelong friendship, and it is with this mindset I have led my past campaign. I have focused on increasing the time our form spends together to ensure that the bonds of friendship are solidified. My campaign has planned three form socials, two more than other forms, and all our proposals have focused on making the first year the best possible, magnifying issues such as Day Student Integration and Dorm Socials/Family Nights. As you all were, we, too, were finding our way through our own Hill Journey as we tried to fit in as students and leaders. Through these tough times, we have succeeded in our mission. 

What Next? For this next year, a three-pillar campaign has been set in place.

We spent this year finding ourselves, finding our place, and finding each other. Now we need to step this up, and so in 2023-2024, our fourth form year, we will

“LEAD, UNITE & TRANSFORM”

Leadership extends beyond just the position. I am often found in the dining hall early during breakfast, sitting with multiple people in an act I call “table hopping.” I am always willing to lend a helping hand, helping many, whether it be to study for their bio tests, math homework, or essays. Sometimes, I am a shoulder to cry on; other times, I echo your laughter. I am here for you all, as I know you are all here for me. I try not only to be of service to you, my fellow peers, but also to the entire community around me. I am an active member of Pottstown Cares, helping the town we call home. I had a key role in organizing “The Welcome Home Concert,” in which I helped raise over 800 dollars for the homeless. I am also an avid writer for The Hill News, writing about pressing issues to cultivate community support and engagement with the outside world. It is very important for me to balance my academic, social, and extracurricular life, ensuring I am of the best service to all. 

As I wrap up this statement, I leave you with this – You gave me your vote last year and an opportunity to serve you. Now I stand before you again to ask you to extend the opportunity as your fourth form representative. Let’s continue to lead, unite, and transform our time here and our school community for the better. if you would like to learn more about the campaign, please feel free to reach out to me, in which I can provide a more detailed description of each above pillar. 

Thank you.

Class of 2025

James Farley ’25

Hello, I am James Farley. I am a two-year boarding student from New York City. I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude for your time and for considering me as a potential representative of the Fifth Form in the SGA. I am vying for the position because I have observed a lack of progress and action taken on resolvable issues in and around the campus. Not due to the SGA, but a combination of a lack of leadership and inclusivity among the student body. If I am elected, I will give my utmost effort towards collaborating with fellow students to improve student life at Hill. My work ethic and tenacity will enable me to effect change. Unfortunately, SGA Senator and other leadership positions are often viewed by students as mere embellishments for college applications, and their full potential remains unexplored. However, I pledge to leverage this platform to bring about genuine, positive changes within the Hill community, starting with the students. I shall be open to any suggestions you may have to make Hill a better place. I firmly believe in transparency between students and their leaders and shall ensure that the grade is informed of any developments the SGA intends to make around campus. I did not run for SGA in prior years because I was not as passionate or involved in the Hill community as I am now. This year, I have become more active in clubs and organizations around campus and have realized the potential impact the SGA can have in the Hill community. My ability to connect with others and easily form bonds will help me in my efforts to gather information from around campus that could be used in SGA meetings. I love Hill and I will be committed to making it a better place.

Hilton Johnson ’25

Fellow fourth formers, my name is Hilton Johnson, I was the form representative for the SGA this year, and I am now asking for your support once again as I have rerun for the position of SGA representative. This time last year I remember I ran on the goals of leading with an ear over a mouth and strengthening the connection between students and their representatives and between representatives and faculty. This past year on the SGA has been a humbling experience, and I am excited to run for the position again because I have loved every minute of it and hold it with great reverence and respect. I have enjoyed using my abilities to collaborate with my fellow representatives and faculty in order to get things done and I have enjoyed using my ability to listen to the suggestions of my peers and relay them to the SGA. I specifically set out to strengthen the communication between students and their representatives and the way Maggie and I achieved this goal was through the creation of our class/form Instagram where you can DM either of us with suggestions (follow it if you haven’t already), and the google form where you can formally write suggestions to us. I also promised to work on outdated restrictions and punishments, and I am currently in the process of changing two of those restrictions (lights-out and dress code), which has been a hard albeit worthwhile process. I think a great example of how this connection between students and representatives has been strengthened over this past year is when a female student came up to me to voice their concerns regarding the availability of feminine hygiene products which I then proposed worked with Maggie to pass. What I feel I have gained most from that whole process is hope in our ability as a form to come together to solve a problem and an appreciation for the voices of my peers, who are strong enough to come to me about such topics. If elected, I hope to use my work on the constitution subcommittee and my relationships with faculty to continue to support this form in the ways I know best and to invent new ways to represent you all. Some things I would like to see through are holding faculty accountable to interact with the SGA, increasing transparency
between representative and student, working on integration (past just open common rooms), strengthening form connection through more form-based activities (working with our form advisors), and working closely with other leadership groups on campus (I.e. DEI, SAMH, etc.) in order to increase engagement. I will try my hardest to these proposals through with the same passion and effort I gave this year, and I can’t wait to see what our fifth form year holds. Thank you all.

Ibrahim Ekmekci ’25

Why do you want to run for the SGA? What do you hope to achieve? 

• The main reason for running in this election is to revitalize the meaning of this post for the benefit of the school community. My primary basis will be my friends’ mental and social well-being. To establish beneficial ties, I feel that SGA senators should function as a bridge between professors and students. The senator should be innovative in coming up with new ways to improve the community and bring students together for socialization. In other words, I plan to expand the frequency of form social activities in order to strengthen student bonds. My hope is to organize such activities in the final weeks of each term as a reward for students’ hard work.  Furthermore, I consider the mental health issues of the students very important and promote further implementations to resolve this conflict. I think that speeches that emphasize the hazards of social discrimination and bullying will help those who feel secluded in the community. I will emphasize this issue and promote discussions among adviser groups to raise awareness of this issue. Finally, I believe that communication is critical for building a strong school community. As a member of the SGA, I intend to prioritize open and frequent communication with students, faculty, and staff. I will ensure that your thoughts and concerns are heard and addressed. I will also aim to expand opportunities for collaboration and dialogue. 

What can you bring to the SGA? 

• I will increase the number of form socials which will help us to grow as a whole and will strengthen our community. I will plan mental health advocacy initiatives to educate and involve our community on this critical topic. This can include things like mental health awareness week, guest speakers, and stress reduction and self-care workshops. Furthermore, collaboration is essential for building a strong and supportive school community. As an SGA candidate, I will endeavor to increase chances for students to engage in projects and activities that benefit our school and community. I will be an accessible form representative to the other students in my form and pledge direct communication chance either face-to-face or by email.  

What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates? 

• The main distinction between the other candidates and me is my willingness and dedication towards performing this task, With all probity, I pledge all of my friends a happy Hill experience and offer my responsiveness to actualize their desires in the school community. I assure the prospect of a Hill experience that delicately follows up the mental health issues to help them thrive in this environment, I will make the SGA senator as a more reachable leader for the community and allow them to reach out to me whenever they want to find a cure for their problems. I will put my best effort to listen to every opinion and force myself to find the best feasible ways to solve issues. 

Maggie Qi ’25

Hi everyone, I’m Maggie Qi. I have been honored to be our form’s representative for the past two years, and today I am running again in hope of using my abundant experience to incite more changes. This year, our fourth form year surrounds one keyword: growth. As an entire form, we have grown to adapt to Hill and, to some degree, established a sense of belonging. We grew accustomed to the increased amount of academic work and even branched out to initiate clubs or join organizations of our interests. From this year’s development, many of us now know where our passion lies, and in this process, everyone is getting to know themselves and our community better. We understand the opportunities that Hill offers, but we also see the chances that could make this wonderful campus more exceptional.

For the past two years, I have consistently spotted nuances in daily life and pushed change to better our lives here. I am proud to say that personally, I have grown to be an accomplished SGA representative who is eager to contribute more to the community next year. My actions this year include sending out SGA meeting updates to improve transparency, starting the Class of 2025 Instagram account, and proposing to make sanitary products in bathrooms free for everyone. These events show that I am capable of implementing changes through the growth and experience I have from being our form’s rep. If elected again, I wish to combine my personal growth with the growth of our form. I have started improving communication between the SGA and our form using emails and anonymous questionnaires, but I want to build a better communication platform next year. I want to listen to the voices of all these wonderful people in our Class and, combined with my persistence and enthusiasm, generate changes that we all desire. This year, I have succeeded in making hygienic products accessible, and I am looking forward to improving more aspects of our lives to better our experience on this fabulous campus.

Class of 2024

Harrison Hu ’24

I am running for the sixth form representative position in the SGA with the goal of advocating for the needs and interests of our form and facilitating effective communication between the student body and school administration. I stand out from other candidates due to my ability to turn ideas into tangible results, my strong interpersonal skills, and my commitment to high standards. Although I haven’t held previous leadership positions within the school, I believe that my unique perspective and ability to represent the broader student body effectively will be an asset to the organization. I didn’t feel prepared to run for a leadership position last year due to the pandemic, but now, as a rising senior, I am well-positioned to assume a leadership role and contribute to the ongoing success of the SGA by serving as a voice for our form and working collaboratively to drive positive change within our community. More specifically, positive change in the form as we head towards our last year at this school. 

Best,

Harrison Hu

Akhil Kagithapu ’24

Hey everyone, I’m Akhil Kagithapu, and I’m running to be a 23-24 Sixth Form SGA Representative!

This past year, I’ve held a position that I’m 100% sure my competing candidates haven’t held: SGA Secretary. I’ve worked on countless elections, such as the 3rd Form SGA Election and both of the Presidential Elections this year. Moreover, I have experience working in the SGA with both the current and next year’s SGA Co-Presidents. So, if you vote for me, you’ll be voting for someone already comfortable working productively with SGA members, advisors, and important school administrators to get what the students want. This connection I have will make it more likely that I can get proposals passed.

While on the SGA, I’ve noticed that while senators often are actually working on proposals, they don’t really have a platform to show their results. Without an actual list of completed or in-progress proposals, many Hill Students currently believe that the SGA doesn’t actually do anything. This is why, as Secretary, I proposed an idea that helps document each and every proposal and its progress level and communicate it with the students. This helps improve the SGA’s reputation, while increasing the students’ confidence in it. I’m working on this idea throughout this last month of school with the SGA, and hope to make it streamlined next year so that people know what the SGA has done. Additionally, I aim to create a truly anonymous virtual tip box where anyone can add suggestions for Hill’s actions. The SGA actually being transparent about their successful proposals will inspire more people to tell me and the SGA about problems we can fix.

If there’s one thing about me that stands out, it’s that I’m persistent and detail-oriented. I’ve run for Form Senator since 4th Form, gotten the Secretary position for this year, and am running for Form Senator next year. In terms of my focus on details, you can ask any current SGA member how detail-oriented I am in our meetings. I will guarantee that this persistence and meticulousness will show up in the proposals I enact next year, along with everyone’s proposal success rate.

I guarantee that by this time next year nobody will be saying “What does the SGA even do?” if you vote for me. If you want actual improvements to your daily life at Hill next year, vote for me.

Jeremy Lee ’24

Hello all,

My name is Jeremy Lee, and I am thrilled to run for Sixth Form SGA Senator. As they say, Hill is not just a school, but a family. However, as we look forward to the coming year, we must remember that the strength of a chain is only as great as its weakest link. This means that each and every student must feel included in our community for Hill to truly become a family.

While I admire the outgoing and outspoken nature of many of our current SGA senators, I believe that my natural ambivert qualities will bring a fresh perspective to the table. In South Korea, I learned what it means to be in the majority, and now I understand what it feels like not to be.

I also promise that while respecting the uniqueness of each student group, I will use my platform to further link student associations so that our bond is stronger, as we are a whole student body, not separate groups. To prove that I desire to make a change, I can confidently state that I have capitalized on my opportunities. As an International Student Ambassador, I have worked diligently with the Latino Student Union to provide them with more opportunities. These experiences made me realize that the greatest way to make an impact at this school is for everybody to work collaboratively, not as individual groups where each has less power.

To make these changes, I need your help. Please join me in building a stronger and more inclusive community here at Hill.

Katie Hicks ’24

Hi everyone! My name is Katie Hicks, and I’m a three-year day student from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. I am running for sixth form SGA representative for next year because I want to help positively impact change within our Hill community. 

During my 3 years at Hill, I have experienced many challenges starting with Covid restrictions, an ever-changing academic calendar, along with other difficulties that come with being a day student. I feel I can leverage this perspective to help bring ideas to the SGA and Hill community. I want to be a representative not just to share my thoughts but also to give my peers a way to help impact the Hill community. 

Building connections and long-lasting relationships can be challenging and as our last year together is soon to begin, strengthening our ties and creating lasting memories will be my focus. Since we had a slow start, I am hoping if I get elected, I can help to influence the school to expand our form activities and to enable us to build tighter bonds. 

My Hill experience was not what I imagined it to be when I first chose Hill, but I feel as though my time here has shaped me into a more adaptive and compassionate person which are skills I would like to get the opportunity to use as your 6th form representative in our final year at Hill. 

Ella Lee ’24

Why do you want to run for the SGA? What do you hope to achieve?
As I sit here at my desk writing this statement on my laptop, I rewrote this a lot of times. However, if I am being completely honest: I just came back from a long regatta, have loads of homework to do which I am dreading, SAT problems to complete, a load of laundry waiting, and most of all: I am really tired. I say this with complete transparency. This is the life of a Hill student. Everyday we are expected to live a lifestyle where we just go, go, go and never stop. Half of the time we feel burnt out, and are gasping for a moment where we can sit and be alone. I want to run for SGA to improve this cycle. Although high school is an imperfect time period in adolescence, I sympathize with the members of our community who are frustrated when small issues and concerns of the student body aren’t addressed to the administration. This is why I want to run for SGA. To put it simply: I want to be a voice for the students. No matter how big or small the issue is, I am a firm believer that we, as students, have the power to share all the issues we care about deeply. It is important to have representatives who will fight for you, your perspectives, opinions, and agitation about the Hill School. As a three year student, I couldn’t be more grateful for Hill, and that sense of love has translated into motivation for me to improve the flaws of it. The beauty of the SGA is that they provide us, the students, with communication and work tirelessly to develop a better life for Hill students. If elected, I hope to be a voice for Hill students. To fight for them tirelessly in every room, to make the sacrifices to achieve what the students need, and ultimately be a voice that can provide honest, transparent answers to many of the concerns that students have.

What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates?
I believe in the power of honesty and taking full advantage of each opportunity presented to you, daily. Throughout my time at Hill, I have always found ways to be involved. Through prefecting, being captain of the varsity girls crew team, a member of culinary council, or attending open forums about our schedule, I want to use my voice in each way possible to spark positive change. Some members of our community may be shy or unwilling to voice their concerns out of worry for their reputation, which is why I believe it is important for leaders to be that voice for them. I believe in the effectiveness of leadership, and how when Hill students come together, we create change for the better. One of my top values is empathy, which I believe is an important trait to bring to the SGA. It takes emotional intelligence and empathy to understand all perspectives of Hill life. To further understand issues about our school, we need to be able to empathize with the administration, as well as the student. Empathy is a value which I feel can be lost in our community sometimes, as we are often very quick to make assumptions about
situations without understanding the full perspective. We need to be able to empathize with teachers, faculty, the head of school, DEI, the counseling office, Sodexo, and all other people who work to provide us with great opportunities. With that, they also need to provide their empathy with us, the students. Our daily interactions only mean so much, I always want to look deeper within the administration and understand what’s going on behind the scenes. If elected, I promise as your representative to be empathetic and be an honest voice, no matter what.

What can you bring to the SGA?
I believe I can bring honesty and sacrifice to the SGA. Some may be intimidated with the big, systemic issues that we face as a community, and not be willing to go the extra mile to solve them. However, I want to challenge that idea. I want to dig deep into all the problems in every dimension and size. As students, we deserve all the answers to the unanswered questions. We deserve to be heard. We deserve to have all of our concerns addressed. I feel as though I am always willing to approach faculty, staff, administration, and other leaders to further understand problems that often frustrate or perplex me. I believe in the power of simple conversation to foster effective solutions. Being an SGA senator to me means getting comfortable being uncomfortable. As leaders, we need to step into discomfort to get answers to relay to the Hill community. I want to bring that vulnerability and accountability to the SGA. Even if it means a tough conversation, an awkward interaction, we need to be that person for the better of our peers. Especially as the class of 2024 is entering our sixth form year with the new head of school, Mrs.
Deevaney, this provides a new chapter of opportunities to implement a new system of leadership for the better of our school.
If you haven’t run before, why now?
I have run both my freshman and sophomore years, and unfortunately lost both times. Now entering my sixth form year, I am confident in the time I have spent exposed and immersed to many different aspects of Hill life to understand how to foster a better environment. I believe I am fully willing to make the commitment to lead Hill through whatever trials and tribulations will face us.

Winnie Liu ’24

Hi! My name is Winnie Liu, and I’m a boarding student from Beijing China. I am running for sixth form SGA senator this year because I want to create the best and most exciting experience as we enter our last year at Hill. I want to run for SGA to make positive impacts on students life as well as continue traditions that are only provided to sixth formers. Through the active participation in many organizations including SAMH and THN, it has broadened my perspective of the community needs and what the student body values. If elected, I will be a
strong advocate for the voices of students and provide especially the sixth formers the best experience at Hill, including traditions like our senior pranks and sixth form dress. Also, getting feedback from the current student body and pushing for a more effective academic schedule is something I would like to achieve during service. Finally, if given the opportunity I will push to promote a better student community and a platform for students to voice their concerns. Thank you so much for your time, and best of luck to all the candidates.