2026-2027 MASC Officers

Bio: Goodness Alafe is a Senior at Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore County, where she is enrolled in the Law and Public Policy magnet program. She began her leadership journey three years ago after being elected to class office and has since been driven by a passion for serving her community and advocating for students. Along the way, she has expanded her involvement to serving in leadership roles with both the Baltimore County Student Councils and the National Association of Student Councils.

Beyond her involvement in student leadership, Goodness enjoys reading, writing, and running to stay active. After serving as MASC Treasurer during the 2025–2026 school year, she is honored and excited to be serving on the officer team as the President. She is working hard to stay committed to serving Maryland students and helping move MASC forward.

Bio: Grace Chi (she/her) is a junior at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County, enrolled in the Global Ecology Magnet Program. Within the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR), Grace serves as the Special Elections Administrator, where she leads a dedicated committee of students to run the Montgomery County Student Member on the Board of Education (SMOB) election, in which all 6th-12th-grade students across the county participate. In addition, Grace is the Co-President of Eco MoCo, the largest student-led nonprofit in Montgomery County – an organization focusing on environmental stewardship, protection, and advocacy.

Outside of school and student council, Grace loves hiking, kayaking, fishing, reading new books, trying restaurants with friends, and hanging out with her cat, Sunshine Bartholomew.

Throughout her term as 1st Vice President, Grace is elated to build an environment where every student feels seen, heard, and welcomed. She is expanding the reach of MASC and growing membership, and helping more student councils across the state get involved. She strives towards an MASC where all students are empowered to grow and connect, promoting the sense of community that makes MASC feel like a family.

Bio:  Vaydant Tripathi (he/him) is a passionate student leader from Urbana Middle School – class of 2031. Vaydant is currently an active participant in the Urbana Middle School Student Government Association (UMS SGA). His leadership journey started as a School Student Ambassador at Sugarloaf Elementary School (SuES).

Apart from the Student Government, Vaydant is interested in golf and science. He also participates in Taekwondo at Jeong’s Martial Arts Academy in his hometown of Urban. Vaydant works this year to increase middle school representation. He feels the involvement and voice of middle school students throughout all of Maryland is important.

Bio: Emily Pahilanga is a sophomore at Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore County. She is honored to serve as the Treasurer of the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) for the 2026-2027 school year.

Throughout Emily’s leadership journey, she has led workshops and worked rigorously to help empower students to make positive changes throughout their schools and communities. Previously, Emily has helped raise over $8,000 for her middle school and is eager to bring that experience to the state level. Emily’s plans bring creativity, enthusiasm, and new, engaging ideas to MASC through fundraising efforts and exciting opportunities for members. She is dedicated to making MASC welcoming and accessible to all students throughout the state. She is focusing on expanding membership and involvement to schools on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Through outreach and meaningful connections, she hopes to ensure that every student feels represented and is motivated to participate.

Outside of MASC, Emily enjoys playing basketball, photography, and traveling around with her family. She is very thankful for the chance to serve and is enthusiastic in supporting MASC members this year.