Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Claremont McKenna Colleges have elected their student body presidents for the 2025-2026 school year. TSL’s Macy Puckett sat down with Ella Hale PZ ’26, Aditi Bonthu HM ’26 and Simone Yang HM ’26 to discuss their goals and plans for the year ahead. Claremont McKenna College’s incoming president did not respond to a request for comment.
Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) elections will be held on April 9, while voting in Scripps College’s elections takes place April 2 through April 4.
The statements provided below have been cut and edited for clarity.
Ella Hale PZ ’26 is the incoming student body president of Pitzer Student Senate. She is currently serving as the Vice President of Finance.
What excites you most about being in this position this year?
“Everything! Particularly, I’m really excited to actually rebuild the way that Senate meetings run next year because I think there are a lot of nuances that are very hard to know unless you basically memorize the Constitution or the Student Code of Conduct. I’m also looking forward to strengthening the connection with senior staff and faculty through the College Council, which is basically where faculty come, the Senate is invited and they have a vote. I’m excited about that because I think right now is a very politically uncertain time for a lot of students and thoughtful collaboration is more important now than it [ever] has been. So using the actual structure of Senate to improve that, that’s what I’m really excited about. I’ve been in Senate forever; it’s kind of my bread and butter.”
What changes, if any, will you be making as this semester comes to a close?
“For my statement, I outlined a lot of goals and I want to accomplish all of them. So in McConnell, I think it could be really helpful to have a short blurb with [dining hall worker] names and maybe a fun fact about them. And so I was thinking, on one side we could do McConnell dining staff and on the other side a facilities recognition board. As students are waiting to get their food, being able to appreciate the people who put it in front of them is really helpful. I’m excited to fix some of the nuances that aren’t perfect with finances, not only at Pitzer but across the 5Cs. Right now, our six student Senate members get paid but it’s hard because you can’t pay the Inside-Out representative until they’re no longer incarcerated. So [we need] a way to track that more accurately and efficiently … Of course, my top priority is making sure that students feel supported, safe, heard and protected at Pitzer.”
What challenges are you anticipating in our final months, especially following federal administration targets to DEI and federal funding, that you may not have experienced last semester?
“I definitely anticipate all of those challenges. Those specific problems are urgent, real-world issues that I’m working with senior staff to address because they have more information than I do. Usually, I use what they tell me to then further communicate to students. The most important thing in my role is being communicative with people, being responsive to my email and talking to people in person if they’re concerned. We have group support hours for certain different issues that students can come to but that’s difficult because, then, students kind of have to out themselves. A lot of the work is being done over email, sending out links of how to get your real ID, communicating why you need it, when you need it, how that impacts flights, etc., etc. … Those challenges, a lot of them are unforeseen. A lot of them I can prepare for, though, and so I have been especially with the VP of diversity in these sectors.”
How will you continue to work with President Strom C. Thacker moving forward?
“I was on the cabinet for my first two years as treasurer and the VP of finance so I’ve been working with admin. I feel really blessed to have their personal phone numbers and I feel really blessed to be a part of their community. I think a lot of the communication with senior staff and the communication I obviously have with students is really helpful to bridge gaps in understanding between the students and admin. The admin sometimes disagrees with students so having both perspectives and presenting a nuanced picture of both sides, I think, is my job. I intend to be really highly intentional about what I sponsor, author or co-author, especially when it comes to resolutions or statements. I want my role to elevate student voices and ensure that all sides of the issues are presented clearly and fairly so that Senators can make informed decisions. My continued relationship with admin is key to that process and to make sure the info I provide is accurate and complete.”
How do you plan to hear and address the student concerns you touched on a little bit?
“With an open heart and with an open mind. I’ll listen to however students want to share their opinions with me, whether that’s an email, in-person or through protests. I do believe that in-person dialogue is the most effective way to resolve conflict — and that’s how I’ve handled a lot of issues in my previous role on exec board or in my current role — and I’m going to continue to use that approach: engaging with groups in places on campus that are neutral and places where people can feel like I’m not just someone on Senate. I’m also a student and I hear your concerns and want to validate you. I want to respectfully provide information that I have, whether that’s in support of you or communicating what senior staff know that students don’t, and then have students develop that and their perspective on the issue.”
AB: Aditi Bonthu, HM ’26 is the incoming president of the Associated Students of Harvey Mudd College (ASHMC). Bonthu has been involved with ASHMC since her sophomore year as Muddlife Director and as a dorm president this year.
SY: Simone Yang HM ’26 is the incoming ASHMC senate chair. Yang has been involved in ASHMC since her sophomore year as a two-year dorm president and a member of many assorted committees.
Bonthu and Yang, who work closely together on ASHMC, communicated with TSL via email.
What excites you most being in this position?
AB & SY: “Our onboarding has been really exciting. Learning about all the moving pieces involved in our leadership has been so insightful and we’re really grateful for all the work that [our predecessors] have done!”
What changes, if any, will you be making as this semester comes to a close?
AB: “In the process of onboarding, we’re focused on learning the ropes and fostering connections with all the new student leadership, faculty and staff that we’ll get to work with next year. We also plan to reflect on what has worked well for our current leadership team and identify areas for improvement, ensuring a strong start in the coming semester.”
SY: “As the incumbent ASHMC President and Senate Chair, our duties this semester are focused on activities that affect the 2025-26 academic year: running elections and onboarding new leadership, coordinating summer storage and gaining familiarity with the many moving pieces involved in ASHMC Leadership’s responsibilities.”
What challenges are you anticipating in our final months, especially following federal administration targets to DEI and federal funding, that you may not have experienced last semester?
AB & SY: “Unfortunately, we have to anticipate new challenges while upholding our commitment to the interests of the Harvey Mudd students. Navigating policy changes requires constant communication between students, faculty and staff and the administration. We will do our best to represent the student body in these conversations.”
How will you continue to work with President Nembhard moving forward?
AB & SY: “We will continue to bring feedback from our anonymous forms and student representatives to our monthly meetings with President Nembhard. Additionally, through meetings with Cabinet members and other stakeholders, we will amplify student voices and ensure our messages are heard in meetings where we are not present.”
How will you continue to hear and address student concerns?
AB: “The priority of ASHMC leadership is to bring student perspectives into every conversation, meeting and policy decision we are involved in. We hope to build a legacy of transparency and communication between ASHMC and the student body. One facet of this is our weekly meetings with the Senate, composed of around 50 student representatives; in these meetings, we hear from dorm and class representatives about campus activities and current events and work with them to turn feedback into actionable steps.”
SY: “I also want to emphasize the importance of conversations outside of scheduled meetings and designated communication channels. Being engaged, available and paying consistent attention to discussions happening across campus are critical to representing student interests even when specific issues are not brought to us directly. We also plan to expand our outreach by holding office hours to reach students who may not engage through existing means.”
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