The Northern California Chinese School Association held its 48th president and vice president election at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center on June 8 (last Sunday). Through on-site voting with 49 favorable votes and 1 spoiled vote, the new president Fu Qijun and vice president Liao Xiujing were smoothly elected to take over the responsibilities of the association for the upcoming year.
Before the voting, Wang Wanjun, a member of the nomination committee and chairman of the Source Chinese School, explained the candidate nomination and review process, and provided detailed information on the voting procedures for the day. During the voting process, Wang Wanjun, along with members of the nomination committee, Chen Qiuliang, principal of Tianle Chinese School, and Zhang Liwen, principal of Bay Valley Chinese School, jointly served as vote counters and tally clerks; the vote monitoring was overseen by Mao Xiaoling and Ye Yunhe.
President-elect Fu Qijun expressed gratitude in his manifesto to the members of the association for their trust and support, and paid tribute to the current president Li Naya, acknowledging her hard work and outstanding leadership over the past year which ensured the smooth progress of the association’s activities. He stated his goal for the future to continue to strengthen the services and support for schools, teachers, and students under the motto of “building on past success.”
Vice President-elect Liao Xiujing gave an emotional speech, thanking President Fu Qijun for his promotion and trust in giving her the opportunity to shoulder this important responsibility. She described the association as a warm and cohesive family that people are willing to invest in. She also confessed that taking on this responsibility brings significant pressure.
Fu Qijun further added, “President Li Naya has set a high standard for us, and the pressure is immense, but we will do our best.”
Outgoing president Li Naya told Epoch Times that successfully inviting Fu Qijun and Liao Xiujing to run for election was not an easy task. She joked, “In the past year, I was almost neglecting my family, if I did another year, my family might fall apart. Now that someone is taking over, I am really happy.” She highly praised the team spirit and volunteer culture of the association, stating, “We are the most united, pure, and education-focused overseas Chinese organization in the Bay Area.”
After the election, the atmosphere was lively with people coming forward to offer flowers and congratulations. Fu Qijun thanked the support of all principals and board members, and stated that he will work tirelessly to serve all member schools. He expressed happiness in collaborating with the team and hoped for continued support in the following year to collectively advance the agenda of the association.
Liao Xiujing jokingly said, “Since everyone has dug such a big hole for us to jump into, let’s all jump in together, and we must continue to support each other.”
Outgoing president Li Naya encouraged the two successors, saying, “The association is a major responsibility with a sacred and heavy mission. Today, everyone’s choice of you is both trust and blessing. I know you may feel nervous, just like I did years ago, but nervousness is a good thing, it shows your sincere desire to work for everyone.” She also emphasized that all former presidents have been a strong support, “Whenever we sing karaoke, asking former presidents to come up, two-thirds of the people will jump out. Good luck to both of you! Thank you all for choosing such outstanding successors.” ◇