Nominees for Life West’s Student Council wait to give their campaign speeches during Friday’s seminar.
Life Chiropractic College West held its latest round of student council elections at the most recent Friday seminar. Three of four positions were decided in an initial election, while a fourth required a special run-off.
Incumbent president Maxwell Kelly ran unopposed for that office, as did new vice president Ashley Gonzales, who had previously served as secretary. The position of secretary will be filled by Sagi Hebron, who received 60.3% of the vote.
Student Maxwell Kelly wins the president’s seat for the second time.
The run-off election involved the office of treasurer. Aanand Sharma and Yecenia Lopez received an equal number of votes during the first round of balloting, which triggered another election that took place on June 5. Following another close race, Sharma won the office, having earned 50.6% of the total vote.
During his presentation, Kelly vouched for the passion each of the candidates displayed by running for office.
“I applaud these students for taking initiative and going out of their way to make a commitment,” he said during his speech, which also focused on how Life West students have the power to affect their own experiences while on campus.
In doing so, the two-term president reviewed several initiatives undertaken in the past year. These ranged from improving the wireless internet and scenery on campus to strengthening communication between the student body and Life West’s faculty and staff on a variety of important issues.
Gonzales, meanwhile, cited her experience as student council secretary in her presentation to seminar attendees.
Student Ashley Gonzales steps into the vice president’s role.
“Being secretary was way harder than I thought it would be, but it was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Life West,” she said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of things on campus, so I know I have the skill set to carry that on and represent the student body.”
New secretary Hebron, meanwhile, played a major role in Life West’s drive to improve air quality within the school as part of the Indoor Air Quality Committee. Life West’s efforts to grow an environmentally-friendly culture recently earned the school a City of Hayward Environmental Sustainability Award.
Hebron cited his experience as a soldier in the Israeli army as a driving force for his personal growth, and as the source for several important leadership qualities.
“I learned how to develop the mental fortitude to keep moving efficiently, no matter the situation,” he said. “I also learned that knowing and talking about something is great, but doing is what creates change.”
