President

-Anna Nikolova, rising senior

"Hey UNICEF members,

My name is Anna Nikolova and I want to be your president for the 2009-2010 school year. I’ve loved being a part of UNICEF since my freshman year and hope to make the club even better next year, as a senior. I have many ideas for club events and meetings, but my main goal will be to restructure our club meetings so they are more fun and efficient. Since we are a busy club, my idea is to create committees that could handle all aspects of planning an event, such as FUBU Fiesta, movie showings, or guest speakers. For example, an advertising committee could handle making video ads, a planning committee could set up the events, etc. I know that not everyone enjoys planning events, so membership in the committees will definitely not be the only way to get involved in the club.

However, I don’t think our club should only center on the events we host – after all, our goal is to spread awareness about issues concerning children worldwide. This is why I think UNICEF should focus on a different topic during each week’s meeting, throughout which we could discuss the issue in an engaging way. Besides raising awareness, we should also find ways to directly help out, like through supply drives. Though our organization raises a significant amount of money for UNICEF each year, we shouldn’t underestimate the power of direct donation.

Since I was the vice-president of UNICEF this year, I gained a lot of experience in running the club by working closely with Neesha. I’ve dealt with the administration and I helped plan every event we’ve had this year, so I think I will be able to successfully lead the club next year.

Have a great remainder of the year and thanks for your attention =)"

VP

-Ivy Choi, rising senior
-Uday Chockanathan, rising senior

"My name is Ivy Choi and I am a rising senior running for UNICEF Vice
President for the 2009-2010. I have been involved in UNICEF since my
freshman year and held the position of UNICEF Event Coordinator for
the 2008-2009 school year. This year, I would like to dedicate myself
to UNICEF once more by becoming UNICEF Vice President. I am extremely organized and dedicated and I believe that my previous experiences as an officer will help me combine my skills with the skills of the other elected officers to make the 2009-2010 UNICEF year the best. I have many plans for UNICEF (i.e. a list of movies, activities, and causes) that I would love to be able to carry out. For a great and productive year in UNICEF next year, vote for Ivy Choi for Vice President."

" Hello TJ UNICEF members! My name is Uday Chockanathan, and I would like to be your club Vice President. I am currently a junior and I have been an active member of UNICEF for two years.

Why do I want to run for office? In four years, Neesha has accomplished the commendable feat of creating this club and transforming it into the thriving club it is today. Each successive year, UNICEF only continues to gain momentum. My favorite parts of UNICEF are the exciting events (especially J-Day) and most of all, helping children in need. Nevertheless, I feel that we can make changes to further improve the club.

I think UNICEF can do more to reach out to non-club members in school as well as in the community. One way to do this is by using more innovative fundraising techniques, such as organizing art shows, musical performances, or other exhibits to showcase the numerous talents of TJ students. I would also like to encourage UNICEF members to enter the J8 essay-writing competition next year and have a peer review system to make our essays more competitive. Such events will not only strengthen UNICEF’s relationship with the community and raise money, but also foster friendships between club members. All of these are attributes of a strong club.

I believe I would be a good choice for vice president because I have already had much experience working with the officers; I have participated in, or contributed to, all major club events and activities, including the J8 contest, J-day, dating game, heading the club booth at the back-to-school bash, and even occasionally leading a club meeting. Because I will not be involved with the mentorship program next year and am not an officer in any other club, I am both willing and able to devote as many of my 8th period blocks as necessary to UNICEF.

So if you want a dedicated leader who will listen to your ideas, widen the scope of the club, carry on its successful reputation, and make next year even more fun, vote for Uday!"

Treasurer

-Ellie Roeva, rising senior
-Max Wang, rising junior
-Quynh-My Luu, rising sophomore

"Hey everyone! My name is Ellie Roeva and I want to be your UNICEF Treasurer for the 2009-2010 school year. I have been a devoted member to the club since freshman year, and next year I would like to uphold the success and magnitude that Neesha has brought to tjUNICEF during her four years here. I know that currently there are school restrictions on the amount of money our club is allowed to raise for outside causes, but I am willing to work with the administration fervently in order to change this. Some of my ideas for fundraisers include car washes (which bring in a lot of funds), bake sales in and out of school, and more 8th period activities like movie showings. I would also like to further educate our members and the rest of the school about outside activities involving UNICEF’s cause through organizations such as Invisible Children and ICLP, and to encourage everyone to take action and raise awareness about the vital issues concerning children all over the world.

In addition, I have the experience necessary to be your treasurer. I have been a member of FBLA since my freshman year, and I have worked greatly with the finance office during my tenure as Treasurer of Spanish Honor Society this past year. I will also be a senior next year, so I will have much more time in and out of school to dedicate to the club. Most importantly, as an officer I would be more than willing to carry out any of your requests or ideas as members in order to make tjUNICEF even more fun and effective than it already is.

Thanks a lot for your time, as I know a lot of you are working hard in your studying for the looming AP exams and finals! And don’t forget to vote Ellie Roeva for 2009-2010 UNICEF Treasurer!"

"My name is Max Wang, and I am a rising junior running for the Treasurer position. I have been participating in UNICEF since my freshman year, and would like to come back next year as an officer. There is no doubt that all of the other candidates are well organized, but that is not enough for this position. I am both organized and dedicated, and have many ideas for UNICEF next year. I have a great deal of experience dealing with money, and working with the finance office will not be a problem for me. On top of that, I would like to be able to raise more money for UNICEF than ever before. I have many plans for fundraisers and other activities that I would like to carry out, including pizza sales, raffles, auctions, and ice cream socials. I am eager to help UNICEF succeed in every way possible. If you want an outstanding year, vote for Max Wang for Treasurer."

"My name is Quynh-My Luu, and I am running for treasurer. I work very well with my peers and am very open-minded. I always encourage new ideas and changes. Having a good balance of being realistic as well has enabled me to complete creative and original projects while having the ideas remain achievable. The ability to stay organized has also enabled me to succeed with all that I do. When the going gets rougher, I get tougher. A unique and advantageous aspect of mine is that I love challenges. Whether it be school work, playing instruments, games, or anything else, I can’t pass up a challenge. Anything that I can’t do, I keep doing until I am successful. Once successful, I aim to improve.

What I love about tjUNICEF is that it imitates the real organization in covering child poverty and such issues. Besides that, it also covers issues other than those of children around the globe. Currently as a fellow club member, I have high hopes for next year and beyond – that we can have a fresh start and build off what we have accomplished this year. At this point, I would like to make clear that I do not believe in making false promises for the future that I don’t truly have my mind set on doing. I hope that we will be able to increase the number of devoted club members. Getting more people involved in tjUNICEF is the key to reaching our goals. Hopefully, next year we can get the school to let our club donate money to outside organizations. Doing so will open up our options in all the activities that we can do for tremendously good causes. I am fully aware of and embrace the fact that in tjUNICEF, club members are just as important as the officers. I aim to increase the unity of everyone in the club so that we can work to increase awareness in our school and do the small things that make a big difference. With the right combination of people, effort, and enthusiasm, we can make contributions to better society and better the world."

Secretary

-Aleena Ijaz (rising sophomore)
-Sara Goturk (rising junior)

"My name is Aleena Ijaz, and I am a freshman. I am interested in running for the office of secretary.

I believe that my most important qualification is the fact that I attend UNICEF meetings pretty much every week, and donate supplies for all major events. I am really passionate about the cause that UNICEF supports, and will do anything in my power to support that cause, to raise awareness about poverty in the world today. Another qualification would be the fact that I am a good speaker. My main goal for the club is to have more events that raise awareness throughout the year, and less meetings where there is nothing to do. I would like to have more guest speakers throughout the year, since I believe that they have the most impact on people. Also, after movie showings, I would like there to be a discussion on how that movie displayed cultural awareness. This would help people realize what that movie meant to the club's goals, and to get something more from the movie than just entertainment. I would also like to increase advertisements for our events. This would mean having more commercials and posters. I believe that our commercials should make sure to include exactly what UNICEF supports, since many people don't even know exactly what the club does. Lastly, I would like to have more fundraisers throughout the year. Perhaps this could be something like a bake sale or pizza sale. We could also have a donation box, for people that just want to donate to the cause. In simple terms, I would like to make the club as effective and productive as possible."

"I would like to become the secretary of UNICEF in 2009-2010 because since freshmen year I have been dedicated to this club. The majority of all events UNICEF has sponsored I have been to and helped out in any means that I could. When we do have events like other members I help make flyers and bring in food for movie events. Last year in JDay I helped bring in supplies for the water wonderland booth and worked for a few shifts at the table and at the water twister/ slip and slide parts. I believe that I would make a good secretary because I enjoy every meeting of UNICEF that we have and am eager to help in any way possible. Since I go to almost all meetings I will be able to keep track of what is going on and help maintain who is in the club better. The biggest reason I would like to be a UNICEF secretary is because I love the club and what we stand for. " - Sara Goturk

Webmaster

-Shravya Kovela

"Hi guys, my name is Shravya Kovela and I'm interested in being Webmaster for TJ UNICEF. This past year, 2009-2009, I held office as Advertising Chair (Secretary and Historian) and was involved in almost all of the events that UNICEF put together this year. My main job was to design and create fliers for events, posters, update the bulletin board, etc. It was a ton of fun and I definitely want to be involved in UNICEF this upcoming year as well! I would love to be the Webmaster this year because I would be able to update our website with all the exciting things we'll do! I have experience with and own Adobe Photoshop, and have some great ideas on making the website look really great. Not only would I be able to help out with the website and advertising but because of my previous experience within the club I'd be able to contribute significantly outside the boundaries of my position. For example, I could help find interesting guest speakers, plan fun events, and more. I'm really excited about the upcoming year! I'll be a senior next year and I definitely want to spend a large part of that time with UNICEF! =) Thanks guys, hope you all vote for me!"

Video Advertiser

-Kate Zurowski, rising senior
-Chantal Montrose, rising senior

"This year I’m running for the office of Video Advertiser for UNICEF. I’ve always really liked playing with camera and making videos, from way back when, when my friends and I would make videos back in elementary school on our old-school VHS cameras. Currently I’m in the Intro to Communications class, and next year I’ll be in the Communications Lab, so I’ll have access to all of the school equipment, and all of my time not used on my project, I can work on things like ads for the club. Not only that, but I’m a complete bleeding heart, so I love UNICEF and the goals of the organization; it’s one of my favorite clubs that I’m involved with at TJ. I’m also good with deadlines, so I can get the ads in on time, and I’d like to think that the ideas I have for ads are pretty good. I like to find ways to combine different ideas from people to make a really good ad that’s creative and fun, and makes our events sound as awesome as they are. So vote Kate Z for Video Advertiser!" Kate Zurowski

"Qualifications:
- I have helped film a lot of ads
- I like to film ads
- I have been in UNICEF since the beginning of my sophomore year.

Goals:
- I would like to have a Ad Committee of dedicated members that are responsible for filming UNICEF ads. (basically more organization)" Chantal Montrose