The results are in. Five members of the Class of 2027 were elected to represent their peers on their Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Class Council. Dean Minello ’27, D’Schon Simmons ’27, Aum Dhruv ’27, Allie Ebanks ’27, and Muhamary Kiherille ’27 were elected out of a field of 23 candidates, the largest since the Fall 2020 election for the Class of 2024 first-year Class Council.
We sat down with Minello, Simmons, Dhruv, and Ebanks to hear their thoughts on the campaign, their top priorities for Class Council, and what sets them apart from their colleagues. Kiherille, who could not attend due to scheduling conflicts, provided answers to select questions in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Minello received the most votes in the first-year Class Council election with 255 votes. Simmons received 240 votes, followed by Dhruv with 225 votes, Ebanks with 215 votes, and Kiherille with 184 votes. Fatiha Haider ’27 received the next highest vote total, falling 10 votes short of being elected with 175 votes.
Motivations for running
Councilors discussed various reasons for running, referencing their high school experiences and their hopes for their roles as Class Councilors.
Minello said, “[I] want people in our grade, ’27s, to feel like this is their home.”
Dhruv added, “My campaign was really about bringing it home.” He described his reason for running, saying “[The American Legion Program] inspired me to want to make people feel like they were home here.”
Ebanks followed a different path to running for Class Council, saying, “I’m really trying my hardest to seek joy in all my interactions.”
She explained, “This is a tough transition, and it’s difficult at times so I’m trying to use my past leadership experience with being class president of my high school [...] to uplift Princeton students.”
Kiherille recalled how “at first I was scared,” but “really, it was the belief peers and teachers instilled in me that ultimately fueled my candidacy.”
Simmons noted “one thing that really drove me to lead here is that I had the opportunity.” He described his previous role as the national president of the Business Professionals of America, saying “I have a lot of experience leading on a mass amount, and so that’s something that really inspired me to keep on leading. [...] I felt comfortable enough that I can accurately represent our class.”
Each of the Councilors described their leadership experience.
Simmons said that, through his position at the Business Professionals of America, he “got to lead over 46,000 student members who were seeking career and technical student organizational help. [...] My role was to bridge that gap between the soft skills and the social skills and put career prep into that.”
In his high school student government, Minello held the role of communications director. “I said the morning announcements every morning, and I spiced it up with guest speakers and interviews and music and things that made my very academically rigorous school a place where you could try to have a little bit of fun,” he said.
Dhruv’s experience includes Boys State, where students play different roles in a mock government. “[I was] lucky to be elected as Boys State Governor, working with 500 people,” Dhruv said.
Differing approaches to platforms and promises
The Councilors had different philosophies about how their platforms influenced their actions. Simmons and Ebanks said they chose not to make campaign promises to avoid disappointing voters, while Minello and Dhruv chose to put promises in their campaign platform to offer voters a vision of what Princeton would be like should they be elected.
“I didn’t promote any promises,” Simmons said. “I did not want to make any unfulfilled promises. I believe that my task on Council is solely to represent those who are in my class.”
“Similar to D’Schon, I also didn’t promise any events or initiatives,” Ebanks said. “I’m super excited to see what the possibilities are.”
Minello took a different approach to crafting his platform. “I was one that did promote some promises, some plans. I did that to give people an idea of the future they would be voting for,” Minello said.
Minello stated that the hardest promise for him to keep would be to plan more events with neighboring schools like Rutgers and Rider. He envisioned a “day of service” that would bring together Central Jersey’s universities.
“I’m a very big proponent of just people meeting other people,” Minello said.
Dhruv also promoted promises in his platform to offer specific reasons why voters should back him.
“One of my main campaign promises was to design embroidered merch,” Dhruv said. “I also hope to offer a Google Form where other people can submit their designs as well. And then making sure that merch is accessible for first-generation, low-income students.”
Last year, 2026’s Class Council gave away embroidered crewnecks for free. 2025’s Class Council solicited designs for class gear through a Google Form in Fall 2021.
Other candidates waxed reflective on other ways to improve students’ lives.
“Laughter, I believe, has the power to transcend barriers, uniting us in shared joy,” said Kiherille in a statement to the ‘Prince.’
Multiple candidates emphasized revitalizing Princeton’s school spirit.
“The way we [revitalize our school spirit] is by organizing watch parties when Princeton basketball runs it back,” Dhruv said.
The USG hosted a watch party in Whig Hall to celebrate Princeton basketball’s run to the Sweet 16 last year.
“We really need to hone in that our social events are what creates community,” Simmons said.
Kiherille echoed this sentiment in a statement provided to the ‘Prince,’ saying that “Fostering a sense of community isn’t just important; it’s essential,” followed by E Pluribus Unum, the unofficial national motto of the United States. Kiherille is a British citizen.
Kiherille also touched upon his background as an international student when listing his priorities for the coming term. He hopes to introduce culture appreciation days and partner with the Davis International Center to increase opportunities for international students.
Knowledge of the role
The ‘Prince’ then asked Class Council candidates to name the responsibilities of their office and how many students they represent.
Section 1 of the USG constitution outlines five objectives of the class government: creating class-specific programs, planning social events, distributing class gear, fostering relationships with parent and grandparent classes, and establishing a class identity. The newly-elected Councilors mostly struggled to name the responsibilities of the office they now hold as the constitution describes them.
“I think the number one thing that’s on all of our minds right now is ‘represent,’ period,” Simmons said. The other Councilors nodded in agreement.
Minello expressed his intent to foster a community among and plan social events for the Class of 2027, which are both responsibilities of the class government.
Dhruv indicated that his chief responsibilities were to foster inclusion and be visible among the Class of 2027, while Ebanks hoped to “make sure that [the class is] getting the most out of Princeton.”
When asked to name how many students they represent, Dhruv responded first, stating he believed the Class of 2027 was 1,436 students strong. No other Councilors challenged his estimate.
“I completely agree,” Minello said.
“From what I know, I’m pretty sure that we’re on the smaller end,” Ebanks said. “I’m gonna say that I agree with [Dhruv], maybe a little lower.”
Ebanks’ intuition was right — the Class of 2027 contains 1,366 undergraduates.
Reflections on the campaign
We then asked the Councilors about their view on the campaign process.
When questioned how the Councilors felt about the large size of the field, Simmons said “USG did a great job publicizing the opportunity to run,” while the other Councilors were less certain about the reason for the larger candidate pool.
Minello explained, “I can just feel a great energy with this class,” while Dhruv noted that “people are becoming more politically involved.”
Ebanks reflected on being the only one of the 14 female candidates to be elected. She said, “I think I have a certain responsibility because obviously we’re supposed to be representing the class. Statistically, I’m in the minority.” She went on to explain that she would “do my best to make sure that I am staying true to what I know that people [who] share my identity need and want on campus.”
She added, “I’m really thankful to be working with such a great group of people because I don’t really see that being an issue.”
When asked why she thought she was the only female candidate elected, she said, “I really couldn’t say. This wasn’t what I was predicting.” She encouraged the other candidates to run again, explaining “I shouldn’t and I don’t want to be the only female doing this — it wouldn’t be fair. How could I encapsulate the whole female experience at Princeton?”
Simmons’ website stated he is “somebody who isn’t afraid to be in the middle of the mosh pit (that’s me).” When asked about his favorite parties on campus, Simmons stated he was in the middle of a mosh pit at Lawnparties, directing us to Barstool Princeton’s recent post.
Minello was known throughout the campaign for his extensive social media presence. When asked whether he thought there was a risk in being too active on social media, Minello said, “I think the nature of voting is that you can vote for as many people as you want. So my biggest goal through campaigning was to be visible."
Minello used the catchphrase “Be seen. Vote for Dean” throughout his campaign. Dhruv was the only other Councilor to have used a similarly catchy slogan, marketing himself through his promise to “make Princeton home,” rhyming with his first name Aum.
Dhruv’s platform had the line, “What do I bring to the table? I don’t. I aspire to be the table.”
“I just wanted to start with a hook, like a banger-esque platform,” Dhruv said. “Being the table, being a platform that you are able to voice your concerns about, also voice what you like, and what you dislike, and that’s really what I hope to bring to the table.”
When asked if anyone else wanted to be the table, no one raised their hand.
In his statement to the ‘Prince,’ Kiherille reflected on his campaign experience by saying that “it’s about the messages candidates convey — their beliefs, their passion, and their vision for the community. These messages shape the individuals we elect, making each one uniquely qualified to represent us.”
Our final question about the campaign was whether Councilors were surprised that they won. Dhruv and Ebanks answered “yes” to this question, while Minello and Simmons declined to respond.
A look back at previous Class Council elections
The 2026 Class Council election saw 12 candidates vie to be Councilors. Zavier Foster ’26, Minna Abdella ’26, Sol Choi ’26, Justin Lee ’26, and Kriti Garg ’26 emerged victorious, while seven were defeated. Foster and Lee have since left Class Council, replaced by Shannon Yeow ’26 and Aarushi Adlakha ’26.
The 2025 Class Council election had 11 candidates run to be Councilors, with Gil Joseph ’25, Kimberly Cross ’25, Diya Kraybill ’25, Ben Wachspress ’25, and Stephen Padlo ’25 emerging victorious, while six failed to be elected. Cross has since exited the Class Council and was replaced by Declan Waters ’25, who fell just short of being elected in Fall 2021.
The 2024 Class Council was held virtually, making campaigning difficult for candidates. Aisha Chebbi ’24, Mariana Bravo ’24, Ive Jones ’24, Sydney Johnson ’24, and Elliott Hyon ’24 were elected. This election, held in the fall of 2020, saw a massive field of 27 candidates run for Class Council positions.
Jones, Johnson, and Hyon continue to serve as Class Councilors. Bravo and Chebbi have been replaced by Lauren Fahlberg ’24 and Eric Ahn ’24.
Class Councilors typically leave the Council in the spring if they run for class officer positions on the Council, such as president and vice president. Multiple of the five elected to the Council in the fall may run for the same position in the spring, meaning that those who lose that election have to exit the Council.
Looking to the future
Enthusiasm for class government events and elections generally levels off as students progress throughout their time at Princeton. Recent class government events have been poorly attended, though that has not stopped some from enjoying these events.
“It was amazing! I had the best experience,” said Max Lind ’25 about the recent Class of 2025 trip to the rodeo. Lind estimated that between 10 to 15 individuals boarded the bus to the rodeo. 2025 class government officers stated that the bus to the rodeo had capacity for 50 individuals.
“I just kind of sat in a corner because no one was there,” Vitus Larrieu ’26 said about the Class of 2026 first-year formal at Campus Club last spring.
Larrieu is an associate Podcast editor, staff Features writer, and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
We asked the new first-year Class Councilors how they plan to keep their fellow 2027s engaged with class government as they progress through Princeton.
“I think that we need to maintain consistency in our modes of communication,” Simmons said. He then emphasized how Class Councilors need to do personal outreach to those in their class to encourage them to come to events and ensure that events do not fall during busy times in the academic calendar.
Dhruv concurred, saying “it all comes down to how effectively we spread the word about these events.”
“We’re all lucky to have really big platforms [on social media],” Dhruv said, underlining how the social media presence of Class Councilors could be used to keep engagement high. At the time of publication, 2027’s Class Councilors have over 15,000 followers on Instagram collectively, with Dhruv having the largest following at over 5,500 followers.
“The majority of the class follows at least one of us,” Dhruv said.
In Spring 2024, elections will be held for class officers, rather than just Councilors. The Class of 2027 will elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Chair. For our final question, we asked Councilors if they plan to run for an officer position next spring.
Two raised their hand for Vice President, and one person each raised their hand for Treasurer, Secretary, and Social Chair.
All Councilors raised their hand indicating interest in running for class President.
Victoria Davies is a News and Newsletter contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Ryan Konarska is an associate Data editor and staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections@princeton.edu.
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