STUCO recently held their Student Body President elections. Two candidates stepped up to the challenge this year, both putting up great efforts to garner support and votes from their classmates. In the end, Dima Majood was elected President while Travis Norris was named Vice President. 

“I’ve wanted to be Student Body President since freshman year,” Majood said. “I’ve always known that I’ve wanted that to be my position…It’s never been a popularity contest for me—this is just what makes me happy. Leadership is what I like doing.”

Majood has been a class president since her sophomore year. She believes it is important to be a representative voice for her class and is ready to apply her leadership skills to the rest of the school. 

“I’ve worked so hard for the past two years, and I feel so genuinely happy that my peers in my grade level trusted me so much to be able to get their voices and opinions out there,” Majood said. “It just brings me joy. Since my peers tell me I do such a great job with my grade level, I think I’m ready for the whole school.”

Majood developed a thorough campaign in order to gain votes, including student outreach, promotional posters and a website detailing her plans if she is elected. 

“I have a website that I made for everyone to visit if they want to learn stuff about me,” Majood said. “I have my posters, the big sparkly ones that have my face on it that encourage people to vote for me. Everything is handmade and done by me. I also passed out lollipops to everyone because I think if you’re willing to put in the time to look at something that I put up, you deserve to have something for it. It’s my way of saying ‘thank you.’” 

Majood claimed to have plans for her presidency already in the works that she will be revealing in the coming school year.
“I’ve been talking to the administration about doing some new school events,” Majood said. “I’m really just a person who likes to take in whatever anyone’s concerns are and bring it to the school. Not only is this my school, but it’s also my peers’ school. If you see something that is important to you, then it’s important to me. Your concerns are valid because it’s our school.”

The second candidate, Norris, also created a campaign in order to reach his voters. Like Majood, Norris developed a campaign for the elections, taking to social media, making posters and making T-shirts. 

“One thing I’ve been doing is my social media account,” Norris said. “I currently have an instagram account under @Travis4SBpres and it has around 200 followers. I’ve been posting and reposting stuff on there. I have my posters, and I’ve had people from all around Oakville reposting my posters.”

Norris’s hopes to be Stuco President stemmed from his struggles to make friends when he first got to Oakville and the support he received from the members of the Student Council. 

“I entered Oakville not having a friend in the world and really being alone,” Norris said. “I received a lot of help, specifically from people who were in Student Council, and they were my first friends. I want to be that same person for other students as well. I hope to be a voice for [the student body].”

The candidates had conflicting feelings entering the election. Norris expressed his stress over the campaign, while Majood explained her excitement and happiness. 

“I’m feeling very excited because it’s a new campaign season, a new start,” Majood said. “I just feel very happy that I have the support that I do. A lot of people have been encouraging me and telling me that they’re excited for me to hopefully win. I think if you can focus on the positives then the stress just goes away. Whatever happens is meant to happen and things will take their course.”

In the end, Majood’s efforts were a success and she is ready to begin her work as Student Body President. She wants her constituents to know that she will keep their best interest in mind and ensure that they have an honest representative in Student Council. 

“I will keep my word,” Majood said. “I am a woman of my word. If I say something will get done, it will get done, and to the best of my ability.”