RECORD OF ACTION

5 Years of student leadership and advocacy experience

Testimonies/speeches to local bodies of government

10 Advocacy organizations/ groups I’ve participated in

12+

Hover over/tap on each image to read what I accomplished in each role:

Co-founded the county's largest student-led environmental organization with over 200 Executive Board members and volunteers.
Advocated for a variety of green bills on the county and state level through letter writing campaigns, testimonies, emails, and more!
Organized workshops, Executive Board meetings, and trash pick-ups with a mission to create a platform that fosters environmental advocacy, education, and stewardship.
Assisted with transitioning our organization to a nation-wide non-profit by setting up national chapters and applying for 501(c)3 status.

Eco MoCo Co-President

(2022 - present)

Served as an Educational Policy Deputy for two years prior where I wrote policy papers, organized educational panels with guest speakers, and attended Annapolis and Capitol Hill Advocacy Days.
Led my department to write MCR’s platform which was later approved by the Executive Board and presented before the MCPS Board of Education.
Organized a panel at the MCR/MCJC December General Assembly where hundreds of middle and high school students had the opportunity to meet two new Board of Education members and a County Councilmember and ask them any questions.

MCR Ed. Policy Director

(Involved 2022 - present)

Assistant Chief of Staff of Lynne Harris, a former Vice President and At-Large member of the MCPS Board of Education, where I assist with recruiting more interns, monitoring committees, organizing meetings and events, and other operational tasks.
Served as an intern for two years prior where I worked on a report to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and testified to the Maryland State Department of Education to change certain graduation requirements.
Served as a volunteer on Lynne Harris’ re-election campaign team where I spoke with voters and handed out flyers at voting centers.

Lynne Harris Chief of Staff

(Involved 2022 - present)

Represented students by opening surveys, facilitating leadership trainings, and advocating directly to administration for important student issues including more hallway time, open bathrooms, weekly Advisory Periods, and more!
Worked with the other officers to organize and promote spirit events including Spirit Weeks, Pep Rallies, Homecoming, and more!
Planning to increase access to SAT/AP prep materials, especially as we approach exam season.

SGA 2nd Vice President

(Involved 2023 - present)

E182EADE-3C9D-425E-B0EA-5837CF55C6F4(1).jpg

Met with admin and the principal to advocate for various issues, including allowing cell phone use during lunch, reforming the school dress code, and installing gender-neutral bathrooms.
Led the SGA to host a variety of events such as spirit weeks, a food drive, a toiletry drive, a Valentine candy gram fundraiser, and more.
Created the SGA's first-ever website with our SGA Social Media Director.
Recognized and celebrated important historical figures during months such as Black History Month, Women's History Month, etc.

SGA President

(Involved 2020 - 2022)

Revised the middle school health curriculum to include more mental health, LGBTQ+, and nutrition content.
Testified to the MCPS Board of Education during the January 18, 2022 Operating Budget Hearing about improving the quality of school meals.
Organized the first-ever MCJC 101 Event, where 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students could learn more about MCJC and how to get involved.

MCJC Leg. Affairs Director

(2021 - 2022)

Served in Advisory Councils for the past four SMOBs (Hana, Arvin, Sami, and Praneel).
Attended monthly SMOB Advisory Council meetings to meet with the SMOB and student leaders from across the county.
Advised the SMOB on various issues, including school safety, the budget, school meals, etc.
Toured the Division of Food and Nutrition Services (DFNS) headquarters with former SMOB, Sami Saeed, to get insight into how school meals are made and provide feedback towards bettering the quality of meals.

SMOB Policy Deputy

(Involved 2021 - present)

Led a group to prepare a 10+ page comprehensive report on the negative environmental and health impacts of artificial turf fields.
Pressured MCPS Superintendent, Dr. Monifa McKnight, to push school principals to prioritize sustainability.
Visited middle and high schools across the county to encourage schools to set up environmental clubs, apply for green school certification, and promote sustainable practices.
Helped set up a Climate Ambassador team of over 200 ambassadors.
Assisted with distribution of grants to support student sustainability projects.

SCAC Councilmember

(2023 - 2024)

Co-President of the Northwest High School chapter of Leaders Institute, a leadership and advocacy club.
Worked with a team to advocate in front of school administration to increase hallway time, unlock school bathrooms, ease-up hall sweeps, and ensure student voice is at the forefront of every decision.
Working to bring back Advisory Periods each week and ensure students’ mental health is supported.

Leaders Institute Co-Pres.

(Involved 2023 - present)

MY TESTIMONIES

January 29th, 2025

The issue of cell phone use in schools is what got me started in student advocacy in the first place. My middle school had a strict cell phone ban and I advocated in front of administration to allow cell phones during lunch. Throughout the years, cell phone use in schools has always remained in conversations. Now, the Maryland General Assembly has THREE bills on the table to heavily restrict cell phone use in Maryland public schools. I shared my thoughts to the Maryland General Assembly's Ways and Means Committee about how a strict cell phone ban would not be ideal for multiple reasons.

January 27th, 2025

When it comes to an issue as serious as school safety, we can't wait until something devastating happens. We must be proactive instead of reactive and "work on the front line to keep our schools out of the headlines." That's why, at the FY26 Operating Budget Hearing, I testified in support of increased funding for security teams at schools. Security is vital towards ensuring safety at all times around the school building and for enforcing a school's ID policy to keep strangers out of school buildings. MCPS has over 160,000 students—that's over 160,000 reasons to invest in safety and security.

December 5th, 2024

Being a junior in high school, it can sometimes feel as if work/studying never ends. That's why breaks in the form of half days from time to time can be a perfect way to alleviate stress while not eating into our Summer Break. So when I noticed the Board was about to approve a calendar with 5 full, uninterrupted weeks of school during AP exam season, I knew I had to speak up (even if it meant skipping 5th and 6th period). I also proposed the idea of excused absences for civic engagement.

November 20th, 2024

Millions of pounds of food gets wasted each year. However, with composting, this waste can be saved and generated into healthy fertilizer for our local farmers. I had the privilege of attending the Montgomery County Council Youth Town Hall where I spoke with Evan Glass, Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee, who explained that the county is working on establishing a facility here in Montgomery County to expand composting to more schools and businesses.

September 26th, 2024

Speaking on behalf of MCR (the county-wide SGA for high school students) as an Educational Policy Director, I presented MCR's Policy Platform approved by our 100+ member Executive Board. This came in perfect timing as the Board of Education was also determining their Legislative Platform. I stressed the importance of prioritizing student wellbeing, including safety and mental health.

April 25th, 2024

46th SMOB, Sami Saeed, proposed a Student Wellness resolution that would formally establish Wellness Half Days into the School Year Calendar (one per quarter) and require each secondary school to have allocated wellness time during the week. This would be a major step forward in prioritizing student mental health and alleviating stress, so I testified in support of his resolution.

March 26th, 2024

Graduation requirements, mandated by the state, are currently not setting students up for future success. Why do we require a full year of Health, yet no financial literacy education? Why are ESOL students required to learn a World Language when they're still learning English? So I decided to testify and express my concerns and ideas surrounding graduation requirements to the Maryland State Department of Education.

October 26th, 2023

As someone who ate school lunches everyday, I saw first-hand the meals our school system provided: processed, unhealthy, and not diverse. This was frustrating as some students rely heavily on these meals and shouldn't be provided with the cheapest options. Setting up more opportunities for students to provide feedback on school meal options is a great first step to improve the lunch line and lead to greater satisfaction.

January 17th, 2023

In 2022, MCPS set ambitious climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2035. However, MCPS must use the budget to fund sustainability initiatives so we can truly reach that goal. I pushed for the expansion of renewable energy which would not only benefit MCPS environmentally, but financially as well.

January 18th, 2022

In 8th grade, I was Legislative Affairs Director in MCJC (the county-wide SGA for middle school students) and my department launched a Be Healthy! initiative that aimed to tackle nutrition and mental health. At an Operating Budget Hearing, I urged the Board to keep free school meals, improve quality, and make meals more accommodating for students with specific diets.