On Wednesday, April 9, Student Government announced all but one of the executive positions — Student Body President. After a runoff election, Amaya Williams was elected as Student Body President on Friday, April 11.
A highly competitive election
This year’s Student Body President election was unusually competitive. Compared to last year’s election, where the current Student Body President Hannah Elluru ran uncontested, four candidates were in the running this year.
To be elected Student Body President, a singular candidate must receive 50% of the vote. According to the official election results posted outside of the Student Government suite in Benson, Amaya Williams (‘26) held 36.04% and Hanna Shakarov (‘27) held 22.5% of the vote. In addition, Blake Shore (‘26) had 18.86% of the vote, followed by Salvatore Cascio (‘26), who had 17.81% of the vote in the first election.
Since none of the candidates received a majority vote, a run-off election commenced between candidates Williams and Shakarov, the two candidates with the highest percentage of votes. Voting concluded at noon on Friday, April 11.
Later that evening, Student Government released the official results of the 2025 Student Government elections. With 65% of the vote, Williams won the ballot for Student Body President. According to the Student Government Instagram page, Williams received 1,033 votes while Shakarov received 550 votes (34%).
You can find each of the elected candidates’ platforms here.
Williams: Looking forward
Williams is a rising senior whom The Old Gold & Black endorsed on April 8. Williams shared a statement with the Old Gold & Black via email.
“I’m incredibly honored to have been elected as the next Student Body President,” Williams said. “This campaign was grounded in community, collaboration and the belief that student voices should be at the heart of every decision—and I’m grateful to everyone who supported that vision.”
Williams reflected on her campaign and expressed gratitude for the conversations she had with her constituents regarding what changes they want to see made in future years.
“Throughout the campaign, I had the chance to hear directly from students during my tabling sessions and public interviews about the issues they care most about, from expanding campus wellness and equity to academic support and student life,” Williams said. “Those conversations have only deepened my commitment to representing our student body with transparency, empathy and action.”
Williams also said that moving forward, she wants to execute her campaign promises to increase student accessibility and transparency in Student Government, as well as foster collaboration with other organizations.
“Looking ahead, I’m excited to begin working on the platform we shared — starting with initiatives that promote students’ accessibility to Student Government and increasing our transparency with the student body,” Williams said. “I’m also looking forward to collaborating with campus leaders, student organizations and administration to turn student feedback into meaningful progress. This is a shared effort, and I’m ready to get to work.”
Shakarov: newfound interest in Student Government
Williams was the only member of the executive board not running under the four-person group titled “The Quad.” This group consisted of elected members Sanders, Bray and Gavitt, as well as candidate Shakarov, with a shared mission “to enhance community, transparency and opportunity at Wake Forest”.
Shakarov also shared a statement with the Old Gold & Black reflecting on her campaign.
“This year’s election was truly unique: with four presidential candidates running for the first time in recent memory and candidates for various positions aligning over common goals,” Shakarov said. “It was remarkable to see the student body’s newfound interest in [Student Government].”
She continued: “Losing the presidential race is not easy, but it was really rewarding to earn the support of so many students, even as a current sophomore. Huge congratulations to [Williams], the rest of the executive board, and the elected senators — I know they will do an excellent job.”
Elluru: supporting the transition
Hannah Elluru (‘25) is the outgoing Student Body President who was elected in the spring of 2024. In a statement to the Old Gold & Black via email, Elluru said she is “very proud of this upcoming administration for taking on this job, and [looks] forward to working with them to help them transition into their new roles”.
All results of the Student Government election can be found here.
President: Amaya Williams (‘26)
Speaker of the House: Sophia Sanders (‘28)
Treasurer: Cole Bray (‘27)
Secretary: Tille Gavitt (‘28)
Class of 2026 Senators
Theresa Murphy
Class of 2027 Senators
Matthew Aronsohn
Mary Brooks Hall
Cate Hardin
Kevin Lee
Gray Lowder
Carter McDonald
Vivian Ernst
Shrihan Atluri
Maddox Braue
Dany Doughan
Ayden Boucher
Matthew Riley
Class of 2028 Senators:
Avery Snyder
Katherine Andrews
Matthew Lameo
Harper Lindsay
Julia Smith
Henry Wolfe
Vibha Bhaskar
Sienna Sferrazza
Nikolette Weiss
Malcolm Brown
Matt Foster
Andre Brozman
Kadyn Peery
Max Marino
Quincie Loy
