On Thursday, September 29th, Ronak Pathak won the Class of 2026 Student Government Association (SGA) Presidential Election. Already, Pathak has set some big goals, and he plans to use his new leadership position to make sure they are met.

Pathak told Eastside Online that some of the school’s most pressing issues, which he plans to work on as soon as possible, relate to the school’s Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) policy, bathroom issues, and making sure that students have fun outside of their academics.

“I feel that there needs to be more enforcement of the HIB policy,” Pathak said. And, speaking in regards to members of the Class of 2026 who experience HIB, Pathak added that he wants to make sure that HIB is nonexistent within the school.

“I also want to address issues about the quality of the bathrooms, but not necessarily the bathroom policy,” Pathak said.

In previous discussions with editors for Eastside Online, Pathak expressed concern for bathroom cleanliness and misconduct.

When asked about how he plans to fix these issues, Pathak told Eastside Online that more dialogue needs to take place between the administration and students in the school.

This dialogue, he said, will ensure that “action is not only taken, but change is made.”

In relation to ensuring that students have fun outside of their academics, Pathak wants to bring some of his experiences from Beck Middle School, where he also served on the Student Government Association, to the table.

“There needs to be some great activities for our class. Students should be provided with more fun opportunities outside of their academics,” Pathak told Eastside.

At Beck, Pathak enjoyed working on Spirit Week by creating dances and spirit wear. While at Beck, Pathak also helped organize a food drive that collected more than 3,000 non-perishable food items for those in need.

“I was glad to be a part of such a big project,” Pathak said. “I really enjoyed all of the Beck activities and want to bring them to East. We should have unique spirit wear and create more community service projects.”

Outside of SGA, where he plans to help bring community service projects to the school, Pathak is also very involved in community life and service. 

“I want to be active in Bridge Tutoring for Beck, Badminton Club, Connect for Cancer and Physics Club.” he said.

He also seeks involvement in History Club, Amnesty International, and Indian Culture Club.

Pathak told Eastside that he wishes to be someone that people should feel comfortable with, and able to go to for their concerns. 

When asked if there was anything else he wanted the Class of 2026 to know about him, Pathak re-emphasized a previous comment:

“I will make sure that action is not only taken, but change is made.”