Photo courtesy of Shea Noland '26. Noland, pictured above, began her role as the first-year class president on Oct. 21.
By Melanie Duronio ’26
Staff Writer
On Friday, Oct. 21, the results of the Class of 2026 Board election were announced. The newly formed team has already adopted their new roles and aims to create a sense of community and spirit among their first-year peers. The student government roles include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, senator and two social chairs.
The Board had its first meeting where members introduced themselves to one another and formed a rough outline of their plans for the year. Activities will include welcoming the spring students, known as “springies,” as they transition to Mount Holyoke and assisting the upperclassmen student government boards with this year’s Big/Little program.
“[The Class of 2026 board is] so awesome. I’m genuinely so excited to get started working with them,” Shea Noland ’26, the first-year class president, said. “The class boards for the other [class years] are also great and they’ve been so supportive. I know even in areas where we might fumble, they’ll be there to catch us and guide us through.”
This year, the main priority of the 2026 Board is to create a positive relationship between themselves and their peers. Noland hopes to hold an event where the first-years can meet the first-year board members in person and ask questions.
“We’re representatives of the class and we’re helping [the class of] 2026 out, [so] we should have a relationship with them. I would like people to know me and the class board, and know that they can come to us for help,” Noland said. “We’re friends of you all.”
Class secretary Elle Mader ’26 also believes in open communication between the board and the first-year class, and she plans to create an online suggestion box for students to submit their feedback and ideas for the board.
“That’s definitely one of the first steps, I think, to being a successful student council,” Mader said. “Listening to everybody’s needs … and translating those accurately to our policies and what we’re doing is really important to me.”
Mader reflected on her experience with her high school’s student council where she planned multiple dances and school spirit activities. During COVID-19, she and her team had to keep up morale and inform their class of their plans, so they created a recurring video series.
“During COVID-19, … I had to be flexible. If something didn’t work out, I was like, ‘Okay, so here’s my next plan of action.’ I think that's something I’ve become really good at, … compromising and figuring out how to work with what I have,” Mader said.
Although Noland has never worked on a student council before, she does have experience in other leadership positions. In high school, she was the president of clubs that she created and was actively involved in her Student Government Association. There, she assisted in organizing clothing drives, sugar drives and a school carnival.
One of the reasons Noland ran for class president was because she wanted to become involved in the Mount Holyoke community. She sees her time with the board as a learning opportunity, and looks forward to furthering her leadership skills with her fellow members.
“A title position like ‘president’ is just that, and it doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else or you know more than anyone else,” Noland said. “I think… [what is] really key for good leadership is knowing that your position titles can help for delegation, … but every effort is collaborative.”
Overall, the new class board looks forward to their first year and all that they can accomplish together. “I’m just really excited to start. I’m really happy and appreciative and grateful that I got elected. … I’m just looking forward to making a fun year for everybody, along with addressing important issues within the community,” Mader stated.