Lumina Zhang, David Jen, Amy Zhou, Toby Chang, and Anna Nguyen will represent the Class of 2029 in results announced on Friday. They were elected from a pool of 17 candidates, in a race that was much less competitive than last year’s election, when 27 candidates sought the positions.
This year, Zhang received the most votes with 325, becoming the first candidate to surpass 300 votes in the past four years. Jen followed behind Zhang with 293. Zhou received 237, followed by Chang with 234, while Nguyen received 201 votes.
Chang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
The Daily Princetonian sat down with all five representatives to discuss their campaigns and goals as class council members.
The new members cited a range of motivations for their decision to participate in the election, from increasing community within the student body to helping classmates manage the transition from high school into college.
“I feel that the class council is not only there to plan events, but also to represent the student body,” Zhang said.
Jen’s primary motivation for running for office was also focused on fostering connection among students. “The events we had in the beginning of the year, like the ice cream social and clash of colleges, [were events] I wanted to be able to continue throughout the year,” he said.
“I felt like there were more ways to connect the community that I could be a part of,” Jen added.
Nguyen emphasized that she decided to run for class council because of her desire to help her peers. “I feel like as a first-year at Princeton, a lot of us are really confused about … managing our schedule in a way that is good for our studies and also social life,” she said.
“I feel like being a part of the council, I will be able to help students get used to their everyday life and the transition to Princeton,” Nguyen added.
Chang echoed this desire to help his peers. Having attended a small high school in rural Arizona, he saw the student government’s ideas get tabled due to limited resources. At Princeton, he hopes to support fellow students to the best of his ability.
“My biggest passion is making people’s ideas turn into reality,” he said.
The five candidates took different approaches to campaigning, but they all had one thing in common: social media. All five candidates either created new Instagram accounts or revamped their personal accounts to promote their campaign. Notably, Zhang made a viral Instagram Reel that garnered over 194,000 views, parodying a viral TikTok song “2 Days Into College.”
“I wrote the lyrics about the Princeton experience, and I think a lot of people were able to learn more about me through that,” she said.
Jen “gave out cough drops because everyone had the ‘Freshman Flu.’” He also hosted a cookie-baking event in the New College West community kitchen to bring students together.
Meanwhile, Zhou credits much of her success to direct, personal conversations with her peers. “I would go around to tables in the dining halls and just sit down and start talking,” she said. At the end of these conversations, Zhou offered her peers a piece of candy and her business card.
Now, the new class council members are focused on what they can accomplish in their terms. For his part, Chang hopes to produce more merchandise and organize more events in the upcoming year. “I don’t think we should underestimate how impactful those things can be in terms of fostering class pride,” he said.
“I don’t want to make floaty promises I can’t keep,” Chang added.
One of Zhang’s priority agenda items she wants to accomplish is eliminating homework during Lawnparties weekends, hoping to prevent excessive workloads during the event. She also wants to introduce new merchandise, including items other than clothing.
“I think a lot of students have been talking about how instead of traditional merch we’ve gotten so far, we could have options with practical uses … like portable chargers,” she suggested.
Zhou noted that budget constraints may limit such changes, but said, “We can think of more creative ways to fill student means while still remaining within our budget.”
Jen emphasized the need to expand the Class of 2029’s social media presence. “We have an official Princeton 2029 account that not everyone knows about,” he said, adding that he wants to ensure it is ”publicized, and that the Class of 2029 is well-informed.”
Nguyen said that changing dining policy was critical for her. “A lot of students ask me about extending the hours of brunch or breakfast, especially the omelet station,” she explained.
Class council members will have the opportunity to run for Undergraduate Student Government (USG) class officer roles such as president, treasurer, and social chair this spring. All newly-elected council members expressed interest in pursuing an officer position.
“We’re trying to advocate for students by listening to their specific needs and connecting them to each other … and make the impact that they want to see,” Zhang said.
Lulu Mangriotis is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from New York City.
David Estrada is a News contributor for the 'Prince'. He is from Los Angeles, California and can be reached at de8214@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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