On Wednesday, April 9, the election results for the 2025-26 Student Government executive board were announced. 

Except one. A singular candidate must receive at least 50 percent of the vote to win any position. Due to the competitive nature of the Student Body President position, the election is headed to a run-off between candidates Amaya Williams and Hanna Shakarov. Voting in the run-off election will open Thursday, April 10, at noon.

The rest of the executive team, however, was announced. Sophia Sanders is the newly elected Speaker of the House, Cole Bray won the ballot for Treasurer and Tille Gavitt was elected as secretary. 

There were 10 candidates up for election for the student government’s four executive positions. This year’s competition is stiff, especially for Student Body President. Unlike last year, when the only candidate, Hannah Elluru, ran uncontested, four candidates are in the running this year.

It is certainly a unique election. Four candidates are running under one platform called “The Quad,” composed of Hanna Sharkov for Student Body President, Sophia Sanders for Speaker of the House, Cole Bray for Treasurer and Tille Gavitt for Secretary. The Quad is running under a shared platform, saying they “aim to enhance community, transparency, and opportunity at Wake Forest.”

Besides the run-off, three of ‘The Quad’ have been elected to Student Government. 

In individual interviews with the Old Gold & Black, each candidate in ‘The Quad’ advocated for permanent QR codes and public forums to encourage constituent feedback. According to their joint Instagram posts, they shared their three collective goals: community, transparency and opportunity. They said they aspire to empower other student organizations, increase communication and improve the future paths of students. 

A comprehensive account of our endorsements can be found here. Each candidate’s platform pitch and video can be found here. 

Student Body President 

Shakarov and Amaya Williams are the candidates in the running for Student Body President. 

Shakarov is a rising junior with two years of experience in Student Government under her belt —  and is one of four candidates running under the combined platform of ‘the Quad,’ as described. 

Shakarov focused much of her campaign on the inefficiencies within Student Government. 

“SG’s methodology of addressing student concerns is lengthy and inefficient, relying on students to find a senator, convey their concern — all for the chance that it might be reflected in the next senate session. As a result, constituent concerns slip under the radar, and SG fails in its mission to adequately represent student interests.” Shakrov said in a statement for the Old Gold & Black.

In her interview with the Old Gold & Black, Shakarov was confident and laid out clear goals, as outlined in her candidate pitch, which can be found here. 

Williams, who the Old Gold & Black endorsed on Tuesday, is a rising senior who has served in Student Government for the last three years. Williams calls her platform G.R.O.W — grounded leadership, representation, opportunity and wellness. 

“I view the Student Government elections and campaigning as my opportunity to let the student body know everything that I have planned and am passionate about seeing happen on this campus before it is time for me to graduate,” Williams said in her statement to the Old Gold & Black. 

In her interview, Williams was passionate and laid out clear goals, again outlined in the platform pitches. Salvatore Cascio, a rising senior who has served on Student Government for three years, and Blake Shore, a rising senior who ran his platform based on not having previous involvement in Student Government, did not garner enough votes to be put in the runoff. 

At the time of publication, the results of the runoff had not been made publicly available. 

Speaker of the House

Sophia Sanders won the election for Speaker of the House. The Old Gold & Black endorsed Sanders on Tuesday, believing her to be a capable and qualified candidate. 

Sanders, a rising sophomore, is also part of ‘The Quad’ and ran her campaign on the basis of creating stronger connections and communications across campus. 

“My campaign is built on a commitment to increasing engagement with the broader Winston-Salem community, improving the academic experience and streamlining communication methods between students, organizations, and Student Government,” Sanders said, in a statement to the Old Gold & Black. 

Kat Dobrosky, who is also a rising sophomore, was the other candidate running for treasurer. 

Treasurer 

Cole Bray won the election for Treasurer. Bray, a rising junior, ran his platform based on the transparency of communication between the SBAC and the clubs receiving funding. 

“I want to simplify the funding process so students fully understand how to access financial support for their clubs. Transparency is key, and I will push for a public ledger of major funding decisions to ensure accountability.” Bray said in a statement to the Old Gold & Black. 

Although the Old Gold & Black did not endorse Bray, we believe him to be a capable and qualified candidate and wish him the best in his upcoming term. 

Rising senior Juan Londoño was the other candidate running for treasurer. The Old Gold & Black endorsed Londoño on Tuesday. 

Secretary 

Rising sophomore Tille Gavitt won the election for Treasurer. Gavitt ran her platform based on her ‘people forward’ attitude and is a part of the combined platform of ‘the Quad’

“I’m passionate about building relationships, creating impact, and ensuring every student feels valued, heard, and represented,” Gavitt said in an interview with the Old Gold & Black. 

Although the Old Gold & Black did not endorse Gavitt, we also believe her to be a capable and qualified candidate and wish her the best in her upcoming term. 

Samantha Servin, a rising senior, was the other candidate running for secretary. The Old Gold & Black endorsed Servin on Tuesday.

Again, all campaign pitches can be found here.