Q&A: Class of 2020 Presidential Candidate Aryan Gupta
By Sydney Lewis
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: What is your motivation for running?
ARYAN GUPTA: I want to help people. Next year we’re going to be doing IB and I know that’s a whole different kind of stress load. I want to be there to help people get through it, [and] if they have any issues, [I would] help them out. Then there’s obviously pep rallies and all that, but I also know the junior class plans prom so that would be pretty cool to plan. Really I just want to do right by my peers because they’re really cool people.
DA: Who has been your role model class officer of the past and why?
AG: Anthony Paul, Shabbar [Syed] and Jack LaGoy. I’m friends with all of them and they ran the [pep rallies] well. I knew Anthony when he was here, [he] was really well-loved and popular and he got everything done, too. He didn’t let anything get to his head either; he was incredibly nice about it, very down to earth. Shabbar and Jack are the same. It’s like they’re from the same mold almost, obviously they have things that make them different, but at their core they are just very nice and outgoing people. That’s kind of what I aspire to be.
DA: What issues within the rising junior class do you want to work on next year?
AG: I feel like our class is still in our middle school groups; we haven’t completely broken out of those. I want to unite everybody not just for pep rallies but as a whole class. Everyone’s going through the same thing. Just by getting two people who maybe haven’t talked before to share, they might realize they have a lot more in common than they think they do. It all comes down to having those interactions and realizing you’re closer than you think you are.
DA: What is one of the toughest experiences you’ve encountered in a role of leadership?
AG: So, I do martial arts. Over the summer at my karate place I’ll teach some [kids], usually though they skew a little young. One time I had to run a room of about 40 people between the ages of six and eight, and that was hard. The whole thing about karate is discipline, so you’re supposed to teach them by example. I would like to lead by example for the class, too. A lot of the stuff I’ve learned at the summer camps I think I could apply to school.
DA: What plans do you have for the class of 2020?
AG: Basically, we need to plan for prom. I want to make that the best experience it could possibly be. I want to make it easier for people to voice their concerns with the class, maybe class meeting every now and then like a town hall. I want people to tell me what they want fixed so I can listen to the class. I would like to organize some service projects because Bright Futures is going to start popping up and we need 100 hours. Some people have already started, but it’s always more fun to do something with your friends.
DA: How would you deal with conflict as president?
AG: If there was some kind of conflict, I would listen to both sides and try to come to an agreement that both parties would find satisfactory. At the very worst, if one party wants something done, someone wants something else done and they won’t agree, just nothing would be done. If both could be done of course, that’s also a possibility. I wouldn’t really pick a side though.
DA: How would you work with your fellow officers as president?
AG: Once you get elected, the name of the position kind of takes a backseat, because then you become a council of people just working together for the class. I think really the only thing unique about the presidency is that you delegate the group as a whole, you put the message out. But coming up with ideas and things to do is a group effort, not just something the president or vice president do.
DA: Do you think this election is a popularity contest?
AG: I know freshman year they were. I think it might affect it a little but not as much as it did one or two years ago because now everybody knows everyone. I don’t know if I would benefit because John Wright is pretty well liked as president, he’s pretty popular, but I feel like if I campaign well enough and got the word out it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
DA: How will you balance extracurriculars with the responsibilities of class president?
AG: Well obviously the presidency is going to be at the top of my mind. I’m doing a decent amount of stuff this year. I’m not doing like six sports. It’s enough that I’m doing something every day but still the junior class office would always be at the forefront of my mind because that is a commitment I will have made to the school. I would stay [after school] however long I needed to take care of stuff.
DA: What do you think about your competition?
AG: He was a good president this year for sure. I know he’s really well-liked and I just heard that this last pep rally was a little pricey. I heard that we spent a pretty sizeable amount of money and honestly, prom is just so expensive. There are other things we also have to worry about and do.
DA: How would you plan to manage class funds this year?
AG: I think that at the beginning to the year it is important to set aside a certain amount of money. Like this much get gets set aside for pep rallies, this much for prom, and you know if problems arise we don’t want financial problems. If worse comes to worst we could fundraise but I don’t think it would come to that.
DA: How would you handle criticism as president?
AG: I would take it and try to work on those aspects of myself. I get that you can’t always please everyone, but you can try. So I would just listen to what they’re saying and ask, “is it something I can change?” If it is, I would try to do it. If someone feels underrepresented, we can work on that.
DA: How do you plan on communicating with the junior class?
AG: Utilize all our social medias. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Remind, just maybe not everyday but anytime something comes up it will go out to all of them. I would tell people in-person as well. The day of, we could have a meeting and go over our strategy, just get everyone ready at the same time.
DA: What is your biggest weakness as a leader and how would you try to work on that as president?
AG: I can plan for stuff, but I’m not too good at determining how people might react to something. But that’s something you learn with experience. I’ve gotten better over time at gauging how a person is gonna react. I’m honestly just working to improve myself.
DA: What are your long-term goals for the years and the presidency?
AG: To keep the class together, you know. To get rid of those little groups, unite everyone as a class for the whole year and also strive to keep our class size up. We don’t want to be losing people. If someone’s in jeopardy with their grades, I would try helping them find what they need to succeed at the school.
DA: What skills or qualities do you bring to the presidency if elected?
AG: I have a few years experience of teaching from martial arts, leading by example. Experience is one of the greatest strengths I bring from doing martial arts all those years.