Candidate Statement:

Hi everyone,

My name is Bryan Zhao, and thank you so much for taking the time to read my candidate statement. The last three years I have spent at Peddie have ingrained within me the urge to give back to the school. I have been lucky enough that my class has trusted me to represent them every year since freshman year. Because of this, I have had the opportunity to meet all sorts of people in the community, ranging from freshmen who are new this year to seniors who graduated last year. These interactions have been the most valuable part of the Peddie experience to me, and I hope to continue fostering them as Co-President next year. As Co-President, I would love to have the opportunity to work with Faculty-Student Senate, connect not just the student body and student council, but also student council with school administration, and to serve as someone that other students can look to for advice and ideas.

I hope that through my statement, speech, and conversations around campus, you will get a sense of who I am as a person. I would be thrilled to represent you all next year and promise to give you my utmost effort. Thank you!

Governing student council and the school will take a good portion of your time, what other activities both in and out of school do you plan on participating in? How will you balance them?

I have served as a representative on student council for three years now, and my responsibilities have progressively grown every year—from cleaning up after Homecoming freshman year, to selling roses for Valentine’s Day and making crepes for PSIT this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the Peddie community. I’m also the co-leader of multiple clubs on campus, including Quiz Bowl, Creative Writing, and the Volleyball Club. These experiences—from organizing student trips to academic competitions, brainstorming fun meeting ideas, and hosting campus events—have taught me how to balance work and fun. Next year, I hope to continue taking on more responsibility, and I am confident that my other commitments will not conflict with my role as Co-President.

What qualities do you possess that makes you a good role model and representative that will allow you to be a leader of the entire school? 

I’ve always believed in myself, and I think this belief is what drives me and will allow me to be a leader of the entire school. I also listen and think before I speak, a quality that has allowed me to incorporate and build upon other people’s ideas. I’m dedicated to my beliefs and to upholding my words with my actions.

What ideas do you have for change and how would you implement these ideas? What would you like to continue?

There are two changes I would like to implement next year.

The first is to redefine how Student Council functions. While many candidates have talked about bridging the gap between the student body and student council, I think Co-Presidents should also facilitate communication between the administration and student council. To implement this, I plan on creating a structured meeting schedule (outside of regular group meetings) between the Co-Presidents and the representatives of each grade to tackle a new initiative each term—whether that involves wifi policy, improving food options, or other changes representatives care about. Each representative’s work will be published in a newsletter to the school at the end of the term, and Co-Presidents will assist with planning, execution, and connecting representatives with school administrators to facilitate meaningful change.

The second change is to improve club funding and attendance. As someone who has participated in numerous clubs, I believe they offer some of the most valuable experiences at Peddie. This year’s introduction of Clubhub and improved club funding was a great step forward, but I think there are still improvements to be made. Next year, I would like to dedicate one of the student center bulletin boards exclusively to club advertisements and create a grant request program so clubs that need additional funding can apply for and secure it. 

I hope that these changes, along with the continuation of traditions like Blair Day, Homecoming, Heads Day, and Prom, will make next year the best one yet.