Class of 2030: First-Year Class President Statements
Get to know the candidates for First-Year Class President!
Image credit: Claremont McKenna College
Now that the fall semester is well and truly in swing, First-Year Class President campaigns are roaring along at full speed. Like any good politician, all of our candidates promise a veritable cornucopia of free stuff: food, especially Canes (a FYCP classic), drinks, and school supplies. They promise glitzy parties and more study spots, and most importantly, they all promise to represent your voice - but only one will prevail.... (the suspense!)
The First-Year Class President (FYCP) sits on ASCMC’s Executive Board as a representative and liaison of the Class of 2030. The FYCP manages a budget of $3000, and is responsible for planning a plethora of events, activities, and initiatives geared towards the Class of 2030 or the broader CMC community.
Candidates were required to collect 50 signatures to be eligible to run. They will each give a speech at Collins Dining Hall late-night snack (10:30pm) on September 21st. Voting opens at midnight that evening and will remain open for 20 hours, until 8 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd.
FYCP Candidates (alphabetical order by last name)
Julian Carlile
Akemi Kwan
Brijesh Chowdry Muparaju
Shay Nussbaum
David Simionca
Ishaan Vasudeva
Julian Carlile
What makes the difference in a class president? Is it the best idea? Your concern isn’t whether your president has great suggestions; with the whole school and years of ASCMC before us able to provide ample help on that front, your focus should be on whether your candidates will act on it. So here's what I'm offering: someone who truly wants to help you, who will be accountable to their class—their friends—and someone who you'll be proud to have as the face of the Class of 2030. Let’s focus on action!
In my first 30 days, you'll see:
Pitch It, Vote It!—A feedback forum where you submit ideas and the class votes on instagram for what happens.
Food, Drinks, and Movies!—an assortment of great things for our first class-wide event, potentially including further free goods…
The Free Food (and Events) Feed, so nobody at the 5Cs misses a free meal or a good night out.
Every month, I'll publish a report showing exactly how I used our budget, so you never have to wonder where the money went.
Beyond this, your president should be a friend to all, so I offer an Open Table. Any time, about anything, there will be a seat and someone to talk to, whether it's a class concern, a rough week, or a silly idea. You can trust that I’ll always be available to help! As president, my time would be yours.
Overall, the greatest thing I could do is have our class leave its mark on CMC history. Let’s build traditions, to not only make the best out of this class, but from all that come after!
Choose someone who listens, follows through, and shows up. I'd be honored to be that person for you, and I hope you know it.
Akemi Kwan
Hi everyone! My name is Akemi, and I'm running to be your first-year class president!
Even before we met in person, I connected over 240 students through an Instagram group chat and individually called, FaceTimed, and texted many of you before school started. My eagerness to become friends with you all led to outdoor beach hang-outs and karaoke nights in the Bay Area, and it makes me so happy to see those friendships carry over into CMC!
Here are my plans to boost community:
I’ll be bringing a masquerade & country-club themed party, with masks and drinks provided! We have yet to get to know all of our classmates, so what better way to strike up a conversation with a stranger than in a mask?
Missed the Bay Area beach trip? No worries! Through my planned partnership with the Outdoor Initiative, beach trips, karaoke nights, and other outdoor adventures will be happening.
A larger budget! I’ll be contributing 80% of my own $1,400 stipend into the $3,000 ASCMC budget. More money means bigger, better events and resources!
Here are my plans to boost the academic life at CMC:
Free school supplies and books, plus a stapler in every printing room/dorm lounge. Upperclassmen often struggle to sell their annotated books, so I’ll buy them back for you!
Did you forget to bring nontraditional school supplies like sticky notes, folders, and scissors? Expect a free bin of those too!
Is it just me, or do the printers never work? Instead of walking to Philips and then all the way to Stark’s, my immediate goal is to create a website showing the status of every printer in the computer labs, saving you time and steps!
Brijesh (Brij) Chowdry Muparaju
If you’ve met me at CMC, there is a decent chance I was talking.
Probably a lot.
So yes, the guy who never stops yapping is running for President.
But I don’t just want to talk. I want to help build the kind of freshman year we actually want.
That means the fun stuff too. A Slip ’n Slide party inspired by my FYG Sunny bringing one to WOA (GO BONELLI!). Pool parties. 5C freshman events. Mixers with food and music people want. Movie nights in Bauer Forum where, for once, the screen is showing a movie instead of Econ slides. And board-game nights that become way too competitive and annoyingly luck-based. I will absolutely argue with the dice.
But I’ve also been hearing the smaller things. Not enough study spots. Restrooms without period products. Those white balls near Roberts Pavilion that inconvenience pedestrians while every skateboard and scooter simply goes around them.
And then there’s the bigger one.
We came into a small freshman class expecting to know everyone, but quickly we’ve found our own circles. That’s normal. I just think we can do more to connect them.
One huge party won’t solve that, even though we’re definitely having those. It has to show up in the mixers, games, events, and ideas we build together.
So yes, I’ll yap. I’ll bring things up. I’ll probably get way too competitive at board games. But more than anything, I want to keep doing what I’ve loved most since getting here: meeting you, hearing you, and connecting people who otherwise might never have crossed paths.
That’s the Brij I want to build. Between our circles. Between your ideas and action. Between all of us and the freshman year we want to create together.
The Brij isn’t finished. That’s kind of the point.
Shay Nussbaum
Hi everyone! I’m Shay Nussbaum, and I’m running to be your freshman class president.
I’m from Newport Beach, California, and I’m on the women’s water polo team here at CMC. Before coming here, I played high school water polo and was swim team captain, spent four years in ASB, worked with over 100 club presidents, and was involved in Youth and Government and my city’s Mayor’s Youth Council.
But I’m not running because of my résumé. I’m running because I genuinely care about our freshman year and the kind of class we become.
I want our class to be fun, connected, and a place where everyone feels heard. I want to create a Google suggestion form that my cabinet and I review every two weeks, along with monthly office hours where anyone can bring me an idea, concern, or criticism. I want a cabinet that actually acts and helps turn your ideas into something real. Your input should create output.
I also want us to actually get to know each other. I want to organize freshman-only events, classwide pregames, a movie night on the Green, new freshman traditions, and opportunities to connect with the other 5C freshman classes.
Most importantly, I want to be honest with you. I won’t promise things I can’t deliver just to get your vote. I’ll tell you what I can do, what I can’t, and where things stand.
I want my presidency to be built around honesty, passion, and empathy. Everyone’s freshman year will look different, and I want us to be a class that looks out for each other through all of it.
We only get one freshman year. Let’s make it ours.
Shay is the Way!
David Simionca
There’s a quote I love by Ayn Rand that goes like this: “The world you desire can be won. It exists… it is real… it is possible… it’s yours.”
During the first month, semester, and even year of college, you can certainly feel that the world you desire doesn’t exist, isn’t real, isn’t possible, and is definitely not yours.
However, I believe we are all here for a reason. Whether you’re here to learn how to change the world or make money, to make your family proud, or just because you have to go to college, that’s fine, and we have to make sure we have plenty of fun during these four years.
First, consider the budget. We have $3,000 to work with, plus my $700 stipend, which I will donate in full.
My philosophy is that you and you alone should decide where that money goes. I surveyed your preferences, and here are the results:
24% want first-year parties (DJ + a theme we vote on)
22% want late-night food drops (Cane’s, In-N-Out, boba)
22% want a mixer with first-years from the other 5Cs
11% want discounted Class of 2030 merch
7% want a beach day
Let me be clear: what you decide happens. That’s how it’ll work until my final day as president.
Second, the class cabinet should be open to anyone with an idea and a plan. It shouldn’t be decided before the election or based only on friendships from the first four weeks of college. I want an accessible cabinet where you can choose your own position title.
So don’t forget: the world you desire is real, is possible, and is yours. We are, and always will be, winners. I’m David, and tomorrow, cast your vote for me.
Ishaan Vasudeva
I'm so excited to be your first-year class president!!!
Through my platform, I hope to create engaging community activities and bring together the first-year class. Ultimately, I believe that my imperative is to serve you all and to represent the voices of my fellow first-years!!
I plan to host events and provide resources, including:
Pre-party Fun
First-Year Only Parties
Events across the 5Cs with other First-Years!
Cross Class Mentorship Mixers
Late (and I mean actually LATE) night snacks
And anything else you guys want. Just hit me up!
While I haven't had direct leadership in class office, I've been lucky enough to serve as the president of my investment club, the co-captain of my Lincoln-Douglas team in debate, and am so excited to expand my leadership capabilities.
I would love it if you vote for me, but everybody else is awesome, so go with your heart!! 🫶
ok bye
Candidates who did not provide a statement will still give speeches!
