Fourteen Senior Class Marshals Selected for Class of 2022

Fourteen seniors were announced on Sept. 24 as senior class marshals for the Class of 2022.

The marshals, who collectively comprise the Senior Class Committee, are responsible for organizing class-wide events leading up to Commencement Exercises in May. The committee also plans post-graduation reunion events and coordinates Senior Gift fundraising efforts.

After two rounds of elections, which were open to all students in the Class of 2022, Menatallah N. “Menat” Bahnasy ’22 and Ruth H. M. Jaensubhakij ’22 were named First and Second Marshals, respectively.

Bahnasy, who received the notice by a phone call on Friday morning in the midst of classes, said she is “really thrilled” to oversee the planning of the committee.

“What I’m most looking forward to is helping to reconnect our class,” Bahnasy said. “I think that that’s really important for our class — not only to have opportunities to reconnect via events and via other initiatives, but also to meet as many people as possible.”

Jaensubhakij said she looks forward to building camaraderie among the Class of 2022.

“Over the past year and a half, our class has been very fractured, and now a lot of people are now juniors — there’s a whole bunch of people who have been added to our class who were in the Class of 2021,” Jaensubhakij said. “I’m really excited to just bring people together and have us feel a sense of unity as the Class of 2022.”

The Second Marshal for the Harvard Class of 2022, Ruth H. Jaensubhakij '22. By Courtesy of Ruth Jaensubhakij

Bahnasy acknowledged the challenges presented by the pandemic and social distancing guidelines, which have reshaped usual senior week activities and events.

“This pandemic is not over yet, and I think that it’s really important to continue following the guidelines that were given with the school,” Bahnasy said. “There are some really creative ways to still be engaged together.”

“I think that we will have a lot of opportunity to be able to expand from the limitations that we’ve had over the last two years,” Bahnasy added.

Arjun J. Prasad ’22, one of the six Program Marshals, said he looks forward to connecting members of the Class of 2022, as seniors now and later on as alumni. The program marshals are those who place third through eighth in the election process.

“One of my favorite things from my three years and a month now has just been meeting such amazing people,” Prasad said. “Making people want to stay connected to each other and to the school that brought us all together – I think that’s what I’m most most excited for.”

In addition to the eight marshals, six seniors were appointed Gift Marshals by the Harvard College Fund after an application and interview process. They will help lead the senior gift campaign.

In the coming weeks, the class marshals will interview candidates to make up the remainder of the Senior Class Committee: the secretary, treasurer, media team, and house representatives.

Abigail T. “Abby” Forbes ’22, a Gift Marshal, said she hopes to change students’ perceptions of the Senior Gift.

“As a [low-income] student who’s really passionate about resource activation and about everyone doing the little things they can that will generate huge, huge, opportunities over time, I really wanted to dismantle any stereotypes that would prevent people from feeling a part of the gift process,” Forbes said.

“We are the first class to have a year-and-a-half away from campus, away from our friends,” Forbes also said. “To have that taken away and come back, re-emerge, and re-embrace what you want your Harvard experience to ideally look like is something that I’m really excited to leverage a vision around.”

The full list of seniors selected as members of the Senior Class Committee is below:

First Marshal

Menatallah N. “Menat” Bahnasy ’22 (Eliot)

Second Marshal

Ruth H. M. Jaensubhakij ’22 (Eliot)

Program Marshals

Karina Ascunce Gonzalez ’22 (Winthrop)

Nia M. Fernandes ’22 (Winthrop)

Isileli J. “Izzy” Kakala ’22 (Eliot)

Fariba Mahmud ’22 (Winthrop)

Abhishek A. Malani ’22 (Pforzheimer)

Arjun J. Prasad ’22 (Dunster)

Gift Marshals

Chin Wang “Karen” Chan ’22 (Quincy)

Abigail T. “Abby” Forbes ’22 (Lowell)

Audrey T. Jones ’22 (Quincy)

Lauren W. Lee ’22-’23 (Eliot)

Maranda Ngue ’22 (Kirkland)

Ashley Toy ’22 (Cabot)

—Staff writer Vivi E. Lu can be reached at vivi.lu@thecrimson.com.