REPRESENT!

Getting to know this year's student body president and vice president

They spoke. Their peers listened.

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, Osajie Imevbore ’23 and Shreeya Gomathinayagam ’24 responded to the concerns, requests, and suggestions of their peers, leaving their mark on Cheshire Academy. And they’ve been successful, to say the least.

A year ago, Imevbore and Gomathinayagam considered their run as student body president and vice president. Both shared a similar passion of wanting to represent their classmates. Acting as delegates of the student body would allow them to use their knowledge and skills to better Cheshire Academy for the entire student body, and students who will follow in the years to come.

But before them was a tough and personal race, as Imevbore and Gomathinayagam had to run against classmates who they also consider their friends. There were heated debates amongst those vying for the elected positions, but Imevbore and Gomathinayagam’s message was heard loud and clear.

For the two, winning was a meaningful experience, especially after having their high school years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking back on the start of his 10th grade year, Imevbore said, “I didn’t really know anyone. I just had my twin brother when I got here.”

Imevbore admitted that he was quiet when he first came to Cheshire Academy, oftentimes seen observing the room and enjoying the company of his peers rather than leading the conversation. Deep inside, though, he had the drive and history of being a leader, having served as a class prefect while in school in the United Kingdom, and in leadership roles in elementary school in Nigeria.

While he was originally considering a run as head prefect, a few of his 12th grade friends persuaded him to run for president. He’s glad he listened; he received several comments from his peers about how good his nomination speech was.

“For someone who didn’t speak at all sophomore year to doing that — it was a huge step for me,” Imevbore said. “I was becoming more comfortable in an environment in which I felt so small before.”

A Second Chance

Gomathinayagam, who attended a local catholic school prior to coming to CA at the start of her 9th grade year, has had experience serving as a class representative, secretary, and as president of her eighth-grade class. However, her presidency was short lived, as the pandemic impacted inperson learning.

“I never really felt like I properly did my job in a sense because I didn’t have a lot of time to do so,” she said.

Gomathinayagam had the itch to continue to serve her classmates so, during her first year at CA, she ran for the position of class representative. She won. “Knowing that I was able to win people over with a speech and with my personality — it was a confidence boost.”

She’s continued to serve in an elected position since starting high school. When the makeup of student body elections was changed last year to a student body president and vice president leadership, she sought the role of vice president, knowing that she would be able to build up the new program herself.

A Perfect Balance

Both Imevbore and Gomathinayagam have diverse backgrounds; Imevbore a boarding student, and Gomathinayagam a day student. They both have a global mindset — Imevbore was born in Virginia, and has lived in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom, while Gomathinayagam was born in New Hampshire and moved to Connecticut during her fifth-grade year. She attended preschool in India, and used to split her residency each year between living in India with her grandparents and in the United States with her parents.

The two used their strengths as students and individuals to represent a vast majority of the student body. As Gomathinayagam puts it: “We hold a good representation.”

“I don’t think it gets more complicated than that,” Imevbore said, of him being a Nigerian United Kingdom student who was born in the U.S., and Gomathinayagam, “an Indian vice president — who is also female — is about as diverse as it gets.”

An Accomplished Year

With the change in elections, Imevbore and Gomathinayagam knew they had a daunting task in front of them to grow the program into something worthwhile. They quickly tapped Head Prefect Eric Benoit ’23 and representatives from The CA Student Section student-run group to include more areas of student life in the decision-making process. It was a goal of theirs to keep the CA community strong, which was a daunting task after the Class of 2022 graduated.

“We had a gap to fill, obviously, with all of our seniors leaving,” Imevbore said. “They were the life of the school last year, so we were given a big responsibility and huge shoes to fill.”

“I feel like we’ve taken some risks and challenged some decisions,” Imevbore said, “and they seem to have paid off, and they’re still paying off.”

The two used their strengths and knowledge to split duties; as a boarding student, Imevbore handled issues concerning life on campus and prefects, while Gomathinayagam worked with peer mentors and day students. And, because of their backgrounds, they appealed to international students as well.

According to Gomathinayagam, “It’s worked out,” as they tried to be an approachable team.

“I think we place an emphasis on including everybody and making sure everybody has a say,” Gomathinayagam said. “One on one, personalized; we make sure that we’re friendly and that we are people who our peers feel comfortable approaching and talking to.”

This year, they hosted a faculty versus student basketball game and, when the Arthur Sheriff Field House reopened after sustaining wind damage in December, they organized a reopening day celebration, with basketball, dodgeball, and volleyball tournaments, an open mic session in the Black Box Theater, painting a mural, and yoga in the fitness center. (See more photos from the event on page 25.)

Another major accomplishment was the reintroduction of interdorm visitation. It’s something the two had been working on for much of the year to reinstitute, and they’re proud to say they achieved it. It was well received by students and faculty alike, with open hours at Motter and Markin halls on the weekends.

“I feel like we’ve taken some risks and challenged some decisions,” Imevbore said, “and they seem to have paid off, and they’re still paying off.”