Walking into the Leadership classroom on May 3 after a strenuous campaign that amassed over half a million views, junior Saif Faghihy heard the news that he had won the 2026 Associated Student Body (ASB) presidential election.
“As soon as I got there, before anything, I put all my trust and faith in God. I walked in carrying that, and I knew that whatever was to happen in the election, I wasn’t going to be disappointed by any of the results,” Faghihy said. “I understand that whatever was to happen was God’s will, and he means good, because the candidates too were good.”
Faghihy won the election over three other candidates, with his campaign standing out through its online reach. Faghihy used his media skills and engagement to generate over 500,000 views across posts on his campaign’s Instagram account.
“I personally enjoy working with media. I’ve worked in media through many different ways across the last couple of years of my life, and I learned that [it] is purely content over popularity,” Faghihy said. “I used things that I knew were going to be engaging, and were going to hold an audience longer on my page, and it worked.”
Online, Faghihy posted videos from Instagram influencers such as comedian Agustin Calderon, known as Don Pollo online, and former Central Intelligence Agency agent and whistleblower John Kiriakou to promote his campaign. Locally, Faghihy also collaborated with junior Bradley Nanola, known on TikTok as Brad Guitar.
“Nanola is a very admirable young man in our school who was one of my first close friends when I moved here. He has a lot of [positive] qualities, and that’s the reason why people love to see what he does,” Faghihy said. “Even though it’s something simple, just singing a song with his guitar, it’s the little things that people like most. That’s why people love to see what he does.”
Junior voter Cole Guerrero explained how Faghihy’s social media campaigning skills translated into election success.
“What really impressed me with Saif was his personal motorcycle video he posted; that was really cool. What grabbed a lot of people’s attention, though, is his [celebrity endorsed] videos going viral,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero believed that Faghihy’s campaigning skill will be helpful in creating a “great environment” and “great campus for all students.”
Faghihy has been described as a model student in the Leadership class. Leadership adviser Melissa Boles described Faghihy’s growth throughout the year leading up to the election.
“In the beginning, he was a little bit more of just like a listener and watcher. Over the course of the year, he’s been stepping up and taking on more responsibilities and initiative,” Boles said.
As incoming president, Faghihy plans to expand on school spirit and inclusion, particularly through rallies and schoolwide events.
“My main role as ASB president, in my eyes, is to make sure that people in our school belong, that they feel like they belong,” Faghihy said. “The most exciting thing I’m [looking forward to working on] are the school rallies. Those are perfect representations of school spirit. I hope that I can recreate, if not improve, the spirit resembled in those rallies.”
Faghihy will take office as ASB president in June 2026, replacing current ASB president Madison Bishop for the 2026-2027 school year.
