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State Board Welcomes New Student Member

Release Date: 

June 10, 2021

Summary: Interlake high school student, Pavan Venkatakrishnan, has been selected to serve a two-year term on the Washington State Board of Education.

OLYMPIA— Pavan Venkatakrishnan will serve on the State Board of Education (SBE) as Western Washington student representative. He will begin his two-year term whPavan Venkatakrishnanen he is sworn in at the July 14-15 Board meeting. Venkatakrishnan was selected to serve by the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL) following an application and interview process.

"I'm honored to take on this new role,” said Pavan Venkatakrishnan. “I hope that I can advocate for and learn from students across this diverse state. There are real opportunities for substantive, positive change in our schools, and I will work with the rest of the distinguished members of this Board to make those opportunities a reality. I believe that when all of us: students, teachers, administrators and stakeholders work together, we can achieve anything.”

“We're delighted to have Pavan join the State Board of Education,” said State Board Chair, Peter Maier. “The Board's two student members bring to the Board a hands-on perspective that helps us develop policies to better serve each student in our state.”

Venkatakrishnan has served as a class officer during his freshman and sophomore year at Interlake High School in Bellevue School District. Outside of school, Venkatakrishnan is a strong advocate for civic engagement and has worked on several political campaigns.

Venkatakrishnan plays clarinet in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, enjoys country music, and is a huge fan of the University of Kentucky (Go Wildcats!). 

Read more about Pavan Venkatakrishnan and all Board members on SBE’s About Us section.

Media Contact: 

Alissa Muller
Communications Manager
(360) 725-6501