Seniors Chosen as Class Officers

Michelle M. Parilo ’10 and Nimi P. Katragadda ’10 will join the Senior Class Committee as secretary and treasurer respectively, the Harvard Alumni Association announced yesterday.

The two seniors were chosen from a pool of 10 candidates running for each position to plan Senior Week and help organize class events after graduation, according to Alexandra Monti, the Alumni Association’s senior coordinator.

Parilo, who is the president of the Seneca, an all-female social club, said that she looks forward to reaching out to the senior class as the 2010 Class Committee’s main contact.

“The seniors can expect to get a lot of emails from me,” said Parilo, who has already served as a representative on the Alumni Association’s undergraduate relations committee. “I want to make sure that every senior has an event they’re excited about senior week.”

The Californian native said that she hopes to use her new position to keep the senior class connected after graduation, as it is often difficult to stay in touch with the Harvard community “when it is no longer right outside your door.”

“I see it as my role as secretary to keep the 2010 family together in a tight-knit community next year when we’ll be spread throughout the world,” Parilo said.

Katragadda echoed Parilo’s interest in building and maintaining a sense of community.The former co-president of the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business organization said that she hopes to maximize the benefits seniors get from the dues they pay.

“I want to bring in a lot of new and creative ideas that haven’t been pursued in the past,” Katragadda said, such as transitioning to an online alumni newsletter to save print and distribution costs.

The two newly elected class officers cited their appreciation for the Harvard community as their central motivation for running.

“I’ve gained so much from my time at Harvard and am so grateful for the experience,” Katragadda said, adding that she wanted to “give back” to the community.

Parilo added that she hopes her enthusiasm for Harvard will be “contagious.”