Timeline
November 13: Elections committee chair announces the call for nominations through email. Nomination period begins.
November 19: Nomination period Ends and Candidates Announced
Nominations for candidacy end at 5:00 pm. Candidates for election are announced.
November 20: Online voting opens.
November 25: Town Hall & Election Meeting (4:00 pm)
Candidates deliver statements and in-person voting is conducted. This would also be the final chance to vote. At the conclusion of the meeting, election results are announced. If there are any ties, they will be broken by an immediate run-off election.
Position
Descriptions of the committee and the social chair role may be found in Article III of the Committee Constitution.
Eligibility
Voting: Any resident may vote in the elections. The same rules as in the general election apply.
Candidacy: Any resident may run for this office, subject to any constraints in the description of the position they are running for in Article III of the Committee Constitution. No resident may run for more than one office simultaneously.
Nominations for Candidacy: All nominations should be directed to the Lakeside Committee (lakesidecomm@princeton.edu) and should be accompanied by a personal statement and (at your discretion) a photo to be posted online.
Election questions should be directed to the current Lakeside Committee (lakesidecomm@princeton.edu).
List of Candidates
Candidate Profiles
Kaleigh Remick
Hi everyone! I’m Kaleigh, and I am a G4 in molecular biology. Outside of research, I love salsa dancing, bartending, running, reading (you may have seen me walking with a book around campus), and eating an insane amount of ice cream. I have lived in Lakeside for three years and am excited to have the opportunity to run for Social Chair.
Why me?
From the beginning of my time at Princeton, I have completely thrown myself into helping the grad school be a wonderful community for everyone. I particularly have a lot of experience planning events, both formally and for my friends, which I believe will help me to be an effective Social Chair.
– I have served as the Events Czar at DBar for three years, where I’ve focused on expanding our events to include more cultural nights, dancing and painting nights, and even started a book club — really ensuring that all students with different identities and interests can find a community at Princeton.
– I have worked as a Writing Center Fellow for four years, where I work primarily with graduate students and postdocs to help them with papers and applications.
– I am the president of the Molecular Biology Outreach Program, where I lead fellow grad students to organize outreach events in our community.
– I recently started a Bachata Club, where fellow graduate students can learn a new dance at an affordable price. I’m not afraid to try new things and spearhead new initiatives!
I hope you can see how involved and invested I am in the Princeton graduate student community and how much I want to make it the best place possible for our students through awesome events and organizations!
What I hope to work on:
1) Communication! I know that maintenance issues, lost packages, housing lottery, and so many other things can be a huge stress in our already stressful lives. I hope to improve communication on these issues and make sure that everyone is informed in a timely and effective manner.
2) HVAC issues: My HVAC has been broken since June, so I’m right there with you all! I want to continue to advocate for accountability on HVAC and maintenance issues.
3) Packages: Tired of lost packages? Me too! I plan to advocate for more effective signage, systems, and communication regarding packages and lost mail.
4) Facilitating neighbor-to-neighbor events: So many of us have friends that also live somewhere in Lakeside, but how often do you talk to the other people right next door to you, on your floor, and in your building? I would love to facilitate events for people to convene with immediate neighbors and get to know new people so that next time you need a cup of sugar, just knock next door!
I am so excited for the opportunity to be your Social Chair and bring my energy, enthusiasm, experience, and motivation to the Lakeside Committee!
Philip Raftopoulos
Hello Lakeside residents,
My name is Philip Raftopoulos, and I’m excited to run for Social Chair of the Lakeside Committee. As a current graduate student in the Chemistry Department, I’ve had the pleasure of organizing numerous community events, including Frickmas, our annual department holiday celebration that brings together more than 400 guests. Through experiences like this, I’ve developed a strong sense of what makes gatherings welcoming, inclusive, and well-organized — and I’d love to bring this energy and my abilities to navigate event-planning at Princeton to the Lakeside community.
As Social Chair, my goal would be to not only create new events that appeal to a wide range of interests but to also uphold important traditions like pumpkin painting and other seasonal events. Most importantly, I plan to ramp up communication about social events, since many residents didn’t appear to be aware of many of the great events going on in the community. I’m also eager to incorporate resident feedback to make sure our events reflect what you want most out of Lakeside life.
With my background in event planning, strong organizational skills, and enthusiasm for the position (I’ve been out by the bus stop campaigning and speaking to many residents), I’m confident I can help make Lakeside an even more vibrant and connected place to live. I’d be honored to have your vote and thank you for your consideration!
– Philip Raftopoulos
Narelle Gilchrist
Hi everyone! I’m a G5 in Politics and I’m running for re-election as Lakeside Social Chair. I’ve been living in Lakeside for 4 years now, and I have been grateful for the chance to help strengthen the community among Lakeside residents. Lakeside is one of the few places where we can forge friendships outside our department during grad school, and I am committed to helping facilitate those crucial connections and community-building. My experience last year taught me a lot about how the administration and funding of social events for Lakeside works, as well as what the gaps are and areas for improvement. I would love to apply this institutional knowledge during a second year as social chair — including plans to better consolidate ACC and grad school funding, and to optimize the timing and format of events to maximize attendance and appeal. Beyond that, I aim to continue to be a strong advocate for Lakeside’s residents, pressing ACC and the university to address the ongoing maintenance concerns, gym improvements, and other resident issues.
Last year as social chair, I sent out a survey to find out what kinds of events Lakeside residents most want, and what works best for them. The feedback showed that dinner events on Sundays or Wednesdays are the most popular, so I planned events like that throughout the year with catering from Nomad and Efes. One thing I discovered last year is that many different groups plan social events for Lakeside, not just the committee but also ACC and other admin. Currently, this results in the bulk of university funding not always being invested in events that have broad appeal or whose timing works for residents. My goal is to work with these admin to better coordinate and consolidate resources, eliminating events with timings or formats that don’t work well for most people (e.g. 3pm on a weekday), and investing those funds instead in events that work best for residents. I hope this will result in a broader range of student-planned events, with higher attendance as well as appeal to a diverse range of audiences (e.g. both families and single grad students). In addition to dinner events, some ideas I have for the next year include game nights, an ice cream night, and seasonal events like a holiday gingerbread house party, as well as family-focused events. I’ll continue to solicit feedback from residents before planning events to ensure they meet residents’ needs!
As a committee member more broadly, I would remain a strong advocate for Lakeside residents, ensuring issues are brought to the attention of admin and that they feel the urgency of addressing them. This past year, I worked with the rest of the committee on the urgent HVAC issues and the long-desired improvements to the gym and common areas — on both issues, we ultimately succeeded in getting admin to address the residents’ needs. I’m very active on slack and try my best to stay in tune with the issues that concern residents, as well as the perspectives and concerns among the admins who hold the decision-making power over these issues. Over my 5 years at the university, I have spent 5 years as a member of my department’s graduate committee (with 3 years as chair), 4 years as a lead organizer of Princeton Women in Politics, and 1 year on the Lakeside
Committee. This experience has given me strong institutional knowledge and a perspective on how to effectively engage with admin, which I will bring to a second term on the Lakeside Committee.
Thanks to everyone for the chance and privilege to represent you all for the past year. I hope to continue working with you all to build a better, more connected, and well-represented community!
Josephine Wang
My name is Josephine Wang, a G6 in the English department. Because I had entered the Princeton graduate program at the height of a vaccine-less, pandemic year, my opportunities to get to know my neighbors and to build that neighborly sense of friendliness and solidarity were limited to, at most, the odd run-in in the laundry room. Those years helped me understand just how much one’s neighbors and one’s sense of a neighborhood contributes to a feeling of being-at-home. As Social Chair, I hope to help our graduate students build a sense of belonging to a broader community, beyond their department cohorts. I would love to host events as simple as hot chocolate “bars” and coffee chats; “breakfast at the bus stop” events (inspired by our Lawrence neighbors!); and simple maker events (cyanotypes in collaboration with the Lakeside gardens, anyone?); to events that celebrate our dearly held traditions, new and old. I view the position as a great opportunity to host low-stakes, low-barrier, and broadly inclusive events through which Lakeside residents will be able to meet each other outside the context of work. As your Social Chair, I am eager to support and fructify your Graduate School experience. I hope to earn your vote of confidence and look forward to being of service to our Lakeside neighborhood.
Yongqi Wang
Dear Lakeside Committee,
I’m Yongqi Wang, G3at neuroscience department. I would like to nominate myself for the Lakeside Social Chair position.
I am a current Lakeside resident. I am enthusiastic about strengthening our community and believe I am well-suited for this role given my extensive experience organizing social events at Princeton.
At the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, I help organize the weekly Social Hour, which involves coordinating food and drinks for large groups, arranging logistics with vendors, publicizing the event, and assisting with setup and cleanup. This experience has made me confident in managing recurring events, delegating tasks, and working across teams to ensure everything runs smoothly.
In addition, I organized two Wintersession offerings featuring an off-campus badminton experience. Both required working through MyPrincetonU, budgeting for transportation and equipment, communicating with participants, and handling registrations—all skills that translate directly to Lakeside’s needs, including event registration with the Graduate School and ACC.
If elected, I hope to bring more frequent, varied, and inclusive social events to Lakeside, helping residents connect and feel at home in our community. I would be excited to work closely with the Treasurer on budgeting, communicate clearly with residents, and ensure each event is well-planned and welcoming.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to serve.
Sincerely,
Yongqi
Here’s my campaign slogan:
Experienced in organizing PNI Social Hour and Wintersession events, I’m ready to bring well-run, fun, and inclusive programming to Lakeside as your Social Chair.
Lynn Hirose
My name is Lynn Hirose, a G4 in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.
As an international student, the welcoming community at Princeton helped me feel at home during a big transition. Now that Princeton feels like my second home, I’d love to give back by helping others feel supported, included, and connected.
I bring relevant experience in community engagement, event planning, and student support:
- McGraw-affiliated Grad Peer Coach: Trained in active listening and one-on-one support for grad students.
- Princeton University Concerts Student Ambassador: Organized multiple music-related events to boost student participation at campus concerts—such as a Chopin piano competition watch party at DBar, a student intermission social, and a post-concert hot chocolate night.
- Departmental Events: Assisted with logistics for seminars and workshops, including food coordination and facilitation, and previously hosted a 30–40 person workshop with refreshments. I genuinely enjoy creating events that bring people together.
As Social Chair, I hope to organize events that strengthen our sense of community—extending to partners and families—while supporting residents’ wellness and offering moments of relaxation amid busy schedules. Some ideas include a hot cocoa / matcha night, a trail mix or crepe-bar study break, and a fruit-and-yogurt breakfast to start the day on a positive note. I also plan to gather residents’ interests to make sure our events truly reflect the community.
Elijah Gallimore-Repole
Hello everyone! I’m Elijah Gallimore-Repole, and I’m running to serve as your next Lakeside Committee Social Chair. I’ve enjoyed living in Lakeside for the past few years and hope to help make it more enjoyable for others who call this community home. I would like to serve as Social Chair to help strengthen community bonding and engagement.
Why choose me to be Social Chair?
Prioritizing events based on community demand: Various forms, surveys, and other avenues have been used to gather feedback from the Lakeside and wider Graduate School community about programming. I plan to use that existing information (and potentially procure more feedback) to guide decisions about what kinds of events the Lakeside community wants, as well as when they should be offered.
Extensive social programming experience: I’ve served in various roles responsible for organizing and running events for school communities as both an undergraduate and a graduate student. As an undergraduate, I planned diverse events including but not limited to philanthropic activities, food festivals, parties, and arts showcases. At Princeton, I’ve served as a GSG Communications Director, ADI Diversity Fellow, Mentorship & University Administrative Fellow, held presidential roles in affinity organizations, and provided programming support across various campus partners. These roles collectively provided me with strong expertise in organizing and running programming for various audiences.
Solid working relationships with various campus partners: Collaboration can help bring bigger and better events to the Lakeside community. As Social Chair, I would work with various campus partners, such as the Student Affairs team, to expand on the events that people enjoy and bring them to Lakeside for the first time or with greater regularity. These collaborations could also help mitigate budgeting constraints, such as making it easier to provide more food at events.
Numerous programming ideas: Many of the most well-attended events I’ve seen at Lakeside involve community members leaving with something, often food in their bellies. As Social Chair, I would collaborate with campus partners to offer more opportunities for Lakeside residents to enjoy good food, engage their creativity, play games, or even add new plant friends to their homes. I have many ideas for events, some of which already have draft budgets. I hope to work closely with the Lakeside Committee and other campus partners to bring these ideas to life for the community. For the sake of your reading time, I will not elaborate but I’ll gladly share these ideas if asked about them.
What would I focus on as your next Social Chair?
Informing programming decisions using community feedback: Lakeside community members have consistently provided honest feedback about what they want to see more of and how they want to engage with one another. I would focus on using this feedback, along with newer/updated feedback, to ensure that social programming continues to address the actual wants and needs of the community. Informed decisions about programming will allow it to maximize community engagement quality and quantity-wise.
Events and activities for the general community and specific subcommunities of Lakeside: The Lakeside community is diverse in its members and interests, which creates opportunities to bring together the entire community or smaller groups with shared experiences. Beyond food-centric events that can accommodate different dietary preferences, restrictions, and even cuisines, I have other ideas for tailoring programming to engage specific subcommunities. For example, partnering with Princeton PlantLife to offer a family-friendly event featuring seeds/seedlings and pot decorating for Lakeside parents and their children, or hosting an event with only pet-friendly houseplants for Lakeside pet owners.
I’m excited for the opportunity to work alongside you to make Lakeside an even more welcoming and engaging place to live. Thank you for reading and hopefully considering me for Lakeside’s next Social Chair. With your support, I hope to help build a more connected, vibrant, and joyful community for all of us.
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