This month, SBE welcomes Indiana Hilmes (Selah) and Star Mendoza (Puyallup) as student interns - the first SBE Communicators to join the team! Both are juniors, passionate communicators, and storytellers.
In partnership with the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL), SBE student communicators get the opportunity to work with state government professionals, community organizations, and state-wide peers.
Who they are
In January 2023, SBE welcomed Indiana Hilmes (Selah) and Star Mendoza (Puyallup) as student interns! Both are juniors, passionate communicators, and storytellers. Read more about them on SBE's blog post announcing their start.
As part of our work on the alignment of graduation requirements with the Washington Profile of a Graduate, SBE staff attended the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL) student voice meeting on April 11, the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) Student Representative Network meeting on April 18, and held a student listening session facilitated by SBE student members Pavan Venkatakrishnan and McKenna Roberts on May 3. The AWSL meeting had approximately 25 students and the WSSDA Student Representative Network had approximately 10 students.
The State Board of Education will say farewell to one of its most influential student Board members at the upcoming May Board meeting: McKenna Roberts. McKenna was selected by the Association of Washington Student Leaders as a sophomore and served on the Board during her junior and senior years. She is passionate about representing students in rural settings (she will graduate from Okanogan High School this May), comprehensive sexual health education for all students, ethnic studies, and mental health support.
The State Board of Education is excited to announce the addition of Donalda Brantley as new student Board member, and east-side student representative. Donalda is a current sophomore at John R. Rogers High School in Spokane.
It was another historic meeting this September as student member Pavan Venkatakrishnan was elected to the Board’s Executive Committee (it provides guidance on the Board’s agenda and oversight of the budget). The Executive Committee is now comprised of Mary Fertakis, Harium Martin-Morris, Pavan Venkatakrishnan, Bill Kallappa, and Kevin Wang (photo to the right). Pavan will be the first student member of this committee.
During the first day of the July meeting, the State Board of Education honored past, present, and future student Board members by passing a resolution honoring student voice. The resolution comes after last session when the legislature passed SSB 5497, giving student members voting rights on the Board. Just before the resolution passed with full Board support, past members Autymn Wilde (now at Gonzaga), Joe Hofman (now at Georgetown), and Baxter Hershman (now living in Spain working with linguistics, soon to start technology career), joined the meeting and gave advice to current students.
Thien Nguyen, Senior at Mariner High School, conducted a research project in regard to opportunity gaps in advanced-course taking. He utilized the Washington State Improvement Framework Winter 2020 Edition, the most recent of its kind, for his examination.
It was another historic meeting this September as student member Pavan Venkatakrishnan was elected to the Board’s Executive Committee (it provides guidance on the Board’s agenda and oversight of the budget). The Executive Committee is now comprised of Mary Fertakis, Harium Martin-Morris, Pavan Venkatakrishnan, Bill Kallappa, and Kevin Wang (photo to the right). Pavan will be the first student member of this committee.
