Class elections typically come and go with little fanfare each fall. A nonevent, they are compiled of people voting blindly for friends, deleting the email in a bout of apathy, and abstaining due to lack of knowledge of candidates. This past month marked a change in this pattern, as Senator to the Class of 2020 Tal Ritchman went above and beyond his opponents, uniting quads and setting the bar high for future candidates. Having served in the Israeli Army for the past four years, Tal felt that he was a natural choice to lead the Class of 2020, and intended to leave no doubt in his classmates minds that he was the best choice for senator. He combined forces with a diverse group of students to shoot a promotional video in the style of the friends theme song, which he then posted to the 2020 Facebook page. This campaign tactic was the brainchild of fellow first-year Hannah Cook, who recognized Tal’s potential and took on the role of his campaign manager. Despite not knowing each other, the two gathered friends and shot the creative video. When combined with Tal’s extensive election day campaigning in the lunch room, this dogged and unique take on political campaigning resulted in a decisive win for Tal, and for the Class of 2020.
This is an excellent story pitch, Elizabeth. The candidate and campaign sound unique and filled with drama. Your pitch simply needs a list of the questions you plan to ask to tease out your story. What about Taj’s experience at Brandeis inspired him to run? How did he come to conspire with Hannah? What kind of leadership qualities does he feel prepared to bring into office from his prior experience in the Israeli Army? Preparing a list of questions like these will help you to focus your discussion during your interview.
Hi Elizabeth,
I think your story about Tal has potential. However, I would focus on him rather than the campaign video. You could talk about his experience in the army and his perspective on student government/leadership. Some questions you could consider are: Why is leadership, specifically student leadership, important? What does it take to be an effective leader? How did Tal’s time in the military shape his worldview and bring him to where he is? Or you could shift the focus a bit and talk about what it’s like for Tal to be four years older than most of his classmates and go to college after the army.
Jacob