The New Freshman Caucus Presidents: Ella Lee and Richard Lin

Freshmen Ella Lee and Richard Lin won the Freshman Caucus election after a close race on December 1. They ran against 12 other tickets and won the majority of votes via ranked-choice voting. The two campaigned on the promise of multiple additions to the freshman experience, and appealed to students with the catchy acronym, A.R.M.Y. Since they’ve already begun their term, the pair has sent out cabinet applications and started working on their plans for the next semester.

Lee and Lin met over the summer through a freshman Discord server for incoming Stuyvesant students. It was through this online platform that the two fostered their friendship and eventually decided to run for Freshman Caucus Presidents. “So I was like, ‘Hey, Richard. Do you want to run for Freshman Caucus?’” Lee said.

Lin possesses previous leadership experience in his middle school’s student organizations. “I was a student government president and the events director for National Junior Honor Society, and a lot of other roles,” Lin said. Additionally, Lin was a part of the social-emotional leadership team at his middle school.

Lee and Lin have observed their peers’ unique struggles and needs and say they are ready to serve them. “Throughout the year, we want to not only help [students] academically but also emotionally,” Lee said. “As freshmen, I feel like we are new to the school and we’re not well adapted to everything that sophomores, juniors, and seniors know.”

Additionally, they were inspired by the policies and initiatives of other caucus presidents. “I heard that the Senior Caucus […] made the spring elective guide, and I saw a lot of my senior friends […] utilize it,” Lin said. “We want to create something like that.”

Together, the pair devised a platform aimed to ease their class’s transition into freshman year. “We wanted to make an A.R.M.Y.,” Lin said, illustrating the ticket’s numerous posters throughout the school advertising this promise. A.R.M.Y. stands for Academics, Resources, Mental Health, and Yippee (recreational events).

They’re currently working on prioritizing tasks, events, and resources they want to implement in the 2025-2026 school year. Two of these resources include a “study group” document and a “career” document for freshmen. “Even though there’s FRAP tutoring and ARISTA, there [are] still a lot of people that need help,” Lin said.

The study group document will be a master resource of study guides for all freshmen classes, tailored to each teacher. “[Lin and I] could create this organized document with study guides, and students from different class sections that have the same teachers can collaborate on it,” Lee said.

The career document will highlight various potential career pathways. It will also offer advice and insight on how a freshman could take the first step working towards a career goal. “A lot of the freshmen were lost during the club fair,” Lin said. 

The co-presidents aim to minimize the financial burden of implementation by hosting recreational fundraising events. “We could pie the [cabinet] team, where people can pay just a dollar to pick one person they really want to pie and go ahead and do that,” Lee said. 

The pair anticipates logistical issues like limits from administration, the phone ban, budget limits, and time efficiency. However, the pair is determined not to let such setbacks hold them back from their goals. “Mistakes are inevitable, but we will always try our best to overcome [them] because when we set our minds on something, we do it,” Lee said.  

Overall, the pair is optimistic for the year ahead and is excited to serve the 2025-2026 freshman class. “We’re going to ‘Ella-vate’ and ‘En-rich-ify’ your year,” Lee said.