Q and A with the Candidates

Kentucky YMCA Media Corps
7 min readMar 18, 2021

By Lily Wobbe

This year’s HS KUNA 3 candidates each bring something unique to the table. Although it’s been difficult to campaign online, the candidates have made the most of the process. Here’s a Q and A with each of the candidates.

Avery Dobozi, Assumption High School

Iman Dashti, duPont Manual High School

Harper Duncan, Sacred Heart Academy

Hannah Neal, Western Hills High School

Ella McCutchen, Frankfort High School

Shamitha Kuppala, North Oldham High School

What are your platforms?

Avery Dobozi: Consumption of fair trade products, protection of honeybees, manufacturing of biodegradable straws

Iman Dashti: Social media regulation, racial/sexual discrimination, affordable housing

Harper Duncan: Ending gender based violence, mental health, global child education

Hannah Neal: Quality education, employment for all, ending child violence

Ella McCutchen: Ending religious persecution, encouraging sustainable industry, eliminating food waste

Shamitha Kuppala: Environmental advocacy, mental health, the opioid crisis

What inspired you to run for office?

Avery Dobozi: I was inspired to run for office during virtual KYA. Despite the conference being virtual, everyone was so upbeat, positive, and fun! I realized then that I want to help lead this community that I love so dearly. I want to make sure that everyone is able to show their true self and express their opinion in a positive and open space, even if we are virtual. I love every single person in the Y, and I want to make sure that everyone feels heard and welcome, no matter the way at which the conference is running!

Iman Dashti: My biggest inspiration to run for office is my friend Andrew Kelmanson. He ran last KYA and did so well, and he encouraged me to do the same for KUNA. I’ve always wanted to run as candidate in my 5 years of being with the Y, and that was the final push I needed.

Harper Duncan: In freshman year, I became friends with someone during KYA named James Gunasar (shoutout to him!), and he was running for Lt. Governor at KYA! We became super close and I ended up serving as his chief of staff when he won the election and realized how amazing being a PO is! KUNA is my favorite of all y-conferences so I knew I wanted to run for a while now!

Hannah Neal: Many things inspired me to run for presiding officer, but the main thing would be my delegation and my advisors. The support from my delegation and officers when I wrote bills inspired me to do more, and advocate as a candidate.

Ella McCutchen: I was inspired to run for presiding officer after I realized how much I absolutely live for Y conferences. I want to experience them year round and I want to be a part of what makes them so awesome!

Shamitha Kuppala: Back in seventh grade KUNA, I was a resolution sponsor. I was so proud of myself for getting out there, but also nervous that I would do horribly. Of course, as I got up to speak with my fellow sponsors, I saw a Presiding Officer enter the room- definitely not what I needed for the pressure I was feeling. After the session, the officer came up to me, and she told me what a great job we did with our resolution! I was so thrilled that, instead of saying thank you like any normal person would’ve, I literally dropped everything I was holding. But the officer helped me pick my stuff up, and she was so nice to me. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to motivate and support people just like she did. I even learned to stop dropping things. So shoutout to clumsy 7th grade Shamitha because she needed it, and shoutout to that officer who inspired me to run!

As a presiding officer, what do you plan to bring to the conference?

Avery Dobozi: As a presiding officer, I will bring positivity and fun to the conference. Nothing makes me happier than seeing ambassadors dancing through zoom calls or the ridiculous jokes you all put in the chat. A year ago, I never once thought I would be able to do a card trick in front of hundreds of people, but the Y taught me that all that matters is being myself, and I want to pass this message onto everyone else.

Iman Dashti: I plan to bring my laid back vibe and inclusive energy. I feel for the quiet kids and the new y students that don’t have a lot of public speaking experience, and I want to bring them up and out of their comfort zone. I want my carefree vibe to rub off of everyone else I come into contact with, and it would be a dream come true to serve as a presiding officer for KUNA.

Harper Duncan: Since I first began attending Y-conferences in seventh grade, I have been known for pushing my classmates to use their voice during debate and share their opinions with others. It is so important that everyone at KUNA use their voices and speak out against issues that are affecting people all around the world. I also believe I can bring a personal, down-to-earth vibe to the conference with my bubbly personality and willingness to accept all.

Hannah Neal: As a presiding officer, I hope to bring to the conference that it’s important to advocate for these problems and also positivity.

Ella McCutchen: I want to bring all the positivity and cheer I possibly can to KUNA. I really feed off of other people’s energy and I want to be that high energy person leading the conference because those people really make all the difference.

Shamitha Kuppala: As a presiding officer, I want to bring fun and inspiration to the conference. I know that sometimes, people tune out during speeches, and they miss out on important messages from their PO’s. I’d make ALL of my speeches engaging, so that everyone has a super fun conference! Beyond that, I believe that the 500–1,200 people at just one KUNA conference genuinely have the potential to change the world if they unite for one single cause. I would be the PO to bring everyone together and TRULY make a change!

What’s been the hardest part of preparing for the conference?

Avery Dobozi: The hardest part of campaigning is, of course, not being able to see and meet people in person. It is so hard to learn about everyone and speak with everyone virtually. I’ve really had to get creative with campaigning, and I have tried to reach out to as many people as possible. I even created a Kuna 3 playlist, which you can find in my Instagram bio @avery4po ;)

Iman Dashti: The hardest part of preparing for me was not what you might think. I’ve always known I’ve wanted to be a candidate since the 7th grade, and I am comfortable speaking in front of crowds without scripts. The hardest part for me was dealing with the loss of one of my best friends, Alex Keyzer, just one week before the conference. It knocked me off my feet and I couldn’t think about anything for days, KUNA included. But after thinking about it long and hard, I realized Alex would have wanted me to continue this journey so that one day, I can work towards preventing future tragedies.

Harper Duncan: The hardest part of preparing my campaign so far has definitely been sharing my platforms and ideas with everyone due to the conference being virtual this year. It’s really tough not being able to see everyone’s faces and have legitimate conversations with people in person. Although, the Y staff has done an amazing job in making this conference the best it could possibly be online, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

Hannah Neal: The hardest part of my campaign would probably be adapting to everything being virtual and finding a safe service project.

Ella McCutchen: The hardest part of my campaign has definitely been connecting with people. I wish I could just talk to everyone face to face but unfortunately that’s not gonna happen this year. It just sucks to not be able to meet everyone and hear about their resolutions and projects.

Shamitha Kuppala: The hardest part of preparing for my campaign is having no idea what to expect in the virtual setting. Sure, it means I sometimes get really positive, inspiring DMs from KUNA folks about my campaign, but it’s also made it hard to get out there and talk to people, which is my favorite part of KUNA.

What advice would you give to candidates running in the future?

Avery Dobozi: For those that want to run in the future, DO IT! This has been an outstanding experience, and I have been able to meet so many AMAZING people. I am so happy I chose to run and been given this opportunity to express myself. Do not be afraid to be authentic because that’s what everyone wants to see. No one is going to remember a bad speech, or something stupid you did during fun time, but people will remember your authenticity and creativity.

Iman Dashti: My advice for future candidates is to ditch the speeches and speak from your heart. I’ve found that saying whatever flows off your tongue is the best way to get your message across. Get out of your comfort zone and give that speech you were on the fence about. One thing’s for certain: you will NOT regret it. Worst case scenario, it’ll be a slightly embarrassing story you tell your friends for years to come; best, you deliver an incredible speech to an applauding audience.

Harper Duncan: The number one piece of advice I would give to future candidates is to be confident and believe in yourself. Speaking in front of everyone can be super anxiety-inducing but as long as you believe in yourself, you truly can do anything. Your voice holds so much more power than you think and if you’re confident with who you are and what you believe in, you will succeed no matter what.

Hannah Neal: Don’t be nervous! You’ll get the jitters and that’s completely normal. Be yourself and advocate for what you’re passionate about and you’ll be amazing!!

Ella McCutchen: Have confidence in yourself! The worst thing that can happen to you is you lose. And even then you will have learned a ton and made so many new friends. It’s only day one and I’ve already met so so so many phenomenal people and I can’t wait to meet more!

Shamitha Kuppala: For future candidates, I would say stay positive no matter what. Even if you attend a small school, don’t have any leadership experiences, or mess up during your speech, but in the end, it really doesn’t matter. If you put your best self forward and be confident and passionate, you can do anything. And finally, I’d say good LUCK!

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