Sagar: What made you decide you wanted to become a candidate in the first place?
Akshay: Well firstly, I really wanted to enhance my leadership skills, I’ve been a part of many leadership things, for example I just came here from climate committee and I’ve been doing the peer facilitator program for two years and I’ve been a peer ambassador for two years as well. So I’ve gained a lot of experience and my leadership skills are developing now and I want to keep on growing them. So I think that the best way possible is to run for EC. I also really have a passion for organizing events like sports, and I think it would be really cool to organize more sports events. Also maybe making a better fall fiesta.
Sagar: What do you think are the qualities of a good EC member?
Akshay: I think I could name a few, but first of all having integrity, like accepting his or her mistakes because after all, a leader is not perfect and he or she will make mistakes. Also being able to give constructive feedback to a person, and using techniques like the sandwich technique, where you give one compliment and one piece of constructive criticism. For example if you are a boss of a company and a worker is coming late every day, you could say to them, “You are a great worker, and you are real asset to our company, but the fact that you sometimes come late puts a lot of pressure on us, so we would appreciate it if you could come on time.”
Sagar: Give an example of a time when you have demonstrated a quality or qualities that show you are fit to be a part of the EC?
Akshay: Yes, so I think I have a lot of great qualities. Firstly, a good quality would be empathising with others, really stepping into other people’s shoes. Sometimes I am really empathetic, and I sometimes lose my temper, which is some thing I am working on. But I really try to help others in every way possible even if sometimes it might be hard for me.
Sagar: What differentiates you from the other candidates?
Akshay: See, I’m not a perfect student; I make mistakes. And I believe it’s okay to make mistakes, since after all, it is our childhood and we need to have as much fun as possible. I really believe AES is a great place, but I believe that we can make it much better and make it more fun, because fun is sometimes needed.
Sagar: What do you want the 8th graders to remember about you when they vote?
Akshay: Well firstly, I want to remember that I have been waiting for this for a long, long time. I really believe I am the best fit for this as I have a complete passion for this position and this leadership.