Wellesley College’s 2026 Class Council for the 2022-2023 school year was announced on Oct. 3, after a runoff election occurred. Jessica Wei won the position of class president, Maggie Wang and Margot Lang won the positions of co-vice presidents, and Nina Zhong won class secretary.
“I feel so excited. I have absolutely loved getting to know so many new people. Everyone here has been very genuine,” Wei said. “I’m really excited to get to know people [and the class] even better. It’s been really nice.”
The ballot for the 2026 Class Council election opened on Sept. 23, though no candidate other than Zhong achieved at least 51% of the vote. A second election was held to determine the remaining positions of president and vice presidents. The role of treasurer is still open, and the election for the position will be held on Oct. 26.
“I had such a fun time [campaigning] to the point where no matter the election results, I felt really excited. I made an Instagram account to do some campaigning and made posts and a video describing myself so that people could know who I was,” Wei said. “I think something that’s been a nice thing about the Wellesley culture is how even though we were campaigning, it didn’t feel very competitive. I was able to reach out to other people running for presidency, and we are all going to hang out after all of this. It just feels so wholesome.”
The responsibilities of the class president and vice presidents include planning events and advocating for their class. All Class Councils provide leadership for their peers and help to bring the class community together.
“Our priority is to know what our community is most interested in and values most, so we’re planning to send out a survey to see people’s preferences and interests,” Lang explained. “I am honored to be able to serve [as Co-Vice President]. A lot of times leadership is associated with a figure ‘on top’, but instead, I consider the essence of this to be to serve. I wish to be someone that people can rely on and trust. If anyone has any ideas, concerns, anything they want to do or create, please come talk to us and we will be more than happy to listen.”
For many first-year students, Wellesley is a new and unfamiliar environment. Though elections for the 2026 Class Council occurred at the beginning of the school year, Wei felt it was important to create a welcoming environment. She is from Boston, and plans to prioritize collaborating and bonding with the colleges in surrounding areas.
“I’m from the Boston area, so I know there are great school communities nearby. I think different mixers and social events [would be fun], on campus Wellesley is super tight knit but it would be also be nice to see what’s beyond campus. [It’s important] to collaborate with other schools while bonding as a first-year class. A lot of people are super far from home and this is kind of our new home for four years. I am so excited to reach out and be present with people to see what they want the school year to be like,” Wei said. “[The Class of 2026] is extremely talented, deserves to be here, and it’s going to be a great year.”
