Student Advisory Council 2020-21

In a continual effort to expand opportunities for direct student feedback, Board Member Schmerelson established a Student Advisory Council (SAC) during the 2016-2017 school year.

What is the Student Advisory Council?

The Board District 3 Student Advisory Council meets on a monthly basis after-school to discuss matters being considered by the Board of Education, giving students the opportunity to share their feedback, opinions, and ideas directly with their school board member. The student representatives serve as ambassadors for their school, and are responsible for communicating updates to the rest of the student body.

In addition to growing organizational, civic engagement, and communication skills, student representatives acquire a deeper understanding of instructional, operational, and policy issues within LAUSD.

SAC

Who Qualifies to Serve?

All Board District 3 students in Grades 9-12 are encouraged to apply. Recruitment takes place each fall. Please check back in August 2021 for the 2021-22 application.

The 2020-21 SAC Class is 48 students strong; a record high! Here are a few of their stories:

 

Alessandra Martinez

Alessandra is a junior at Canoga Park Senior High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. She learned about SAC through the ASB Advisor at Canoga and decided to apply this year because she was intrigued about the decision making process at a local level and how she may directly impact that process to improve her school community. For her school’s ASB class, Alessandra is the Athletic Chair and aims to become a Psychologist after she graduates. She enjoys soccer, softball, and works with younger students and peers as a mentor/ instructor in her free time.

Samarah Rameau

Samarah is a student at Canoga Park High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. After learning about the opportunity from one of her teachers, she decided to apply because she was interested in meeting other students from other schools and doing what she can to help impact her school district. Samarah is currently a member of the dance team at her school and the president of Black Student Union at her school. She hopes to pursue a career as a lawyer after graduating. Samarah works a part time job at a warehouse and runs her own small business that she is now focused on making bigger and better.

Armando Olvera

Armando Olvera is a senior at Canoga Park High School. This is his second year on the student advisory council, and joined to learn how the school district makes decisions on policies and promotes more support for JROTC programs district-wide. He plans to pursue a college education and obtain a bachelor’s degree in engineering to become an aerospace engineer. He is currently a member of the Boy Scouts of America, and has earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. In his free time, he enjoys creating origami, star gazing and spending time with family.

Molly McIntyre

Molly is a sophomore in the CORE Humanities Magnet at Cleveland High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council, and she enjoys being a part of the school community. At Cleveland she is a part of both the Coredinators and CoreBuddies programs. During her free time Molly works with an animal rescue and volunteers weekly at their adoptions. She is also currently training to be a student docent for the David Labkovski Project.

Audry Cordova

Audry is a senior at Grant High School. She joined the Student Advisory Council during her senior year because she wanted to talk about mental health and how to better her school environment for everyone. Audry thinks mental health is incredibly important and hopes that with joining and gathering resources from the SAC meetings, she makes an impact at her school. She was born in Los Angeles, is an activist and passionate about music which has helped her a ton with her own mental health. She looks forward to plenty more SAC meeting and opportunities that come!

Ava Rosenberg

Ava is a senior at Grant High School and a proud member of the College Prep and Digital Arts Magnet. She joined the Student Advisory Council this year to play a more active role in her school community and learn about education policy. As Secretary of Grant’s Magnet Leadership club, Ava started a peer tutoring program to help students struggling with distance learning and has played clarinet in the CSUN Youth Orchestras for just over four years. In her free time, Ava draws, paints and volunteers as a Junior Counselor at the local summer camp she attended as a child.

Marcus Zimmerman

Marcus Zimmerman is a senior at Grant High School. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. After finding out about it through his school, he realized that it would be a good opportunity to improve the quality of education in his community, along with his membership on the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council’s education community. Throughout his time at Grant, Marcus has competed on the school’s varsity wrestling team, and founded and competed in Grants High School’s Science Bowl Team. Marcus hopes to one day major in economics and public policy so that he pursue a career in public policy think tanks.

Hripsime Dumanyan

Hripsime is a senior at Grant High School. This is her first year being a part of Student Advisory Council. She heard about the Student Advisory Council through a teacher in her school and decided to apply in order to learn more about her school district. She also thought getting to interact with students from others schools was a bonus. Hripsime writes for fun. She is a writer for a small magazine and is planning to major in English once she enters college. Hripsime enjoys reading, she is currently reading “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black.

Katelynn Perlstein

Katelynn is a senior at John F Kennedy High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council for a chance to address school district policies that assess the problems that have arisen amongst her peers at Kennedy High, as well as peers from other schools. Katelynn is the varsity girls volleyball team captain at her school, enjoys volunteering at the Granada Hills library branch to help younger students discover their own passions, and hopes to pursue a career in Marine Science.

Sophia Hernandez

Sophia is a senior at John F. Kennedy High School. This is her second year being apart of the Student Advisory Council. She enjoys being able to socialize with students from other schools as well as getting to learn more about her school district. She is the captain of her school’s girls varsity tennis team and is a member of the Associated Student Body Government. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and studying astrology.

Natalie Jeronimo-Goytia

Natalie is a senior at The John F. Kennedy High School Architecture/Digital Design/Filmmaking Magnet. She applied for the Student Advisory Council position after hearing about the opportunity from one of the Assistant Principals at the school, Mr. Jacquez. She is looking forward to making a positive impact on her school and community, and to serve as an advocate for her fellow students. Natalie has participated in a myriad of clubs, including SkillsUSA and Girls Build LA. She is a member of her school’s SBA, and a varsity cheerleader. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, but also finds fulfillment in serving others in her school and community. She hopes her experience on the Student Advisory Council can help to facilitate her career goals in Community Organization and Advocacy, helping underserved and impoverished communities.

Marwa Mulk

Marwa Mulk is a first-generation Afghan-American junior at Lake Balboa College Prep. She currently serves as her class president and is an active member of the debate, academic decathlon, and varsity volleyball teams. This summer Marwa received the 2020 Warren Christopher Scholarship, a $20,000 grant awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, a commitment to community service, and the ability to overcome hardship. Marwa routinely interns at the Westminster Free Clinic as a student nurse and has been part of the LAUSD Student Advisory Council for 2 years. In her free time, Marwa enjoys baking various desserts and reading a good book. Marwa is dedicated to serving her community by encouraging civic engagement for youth and believes it is her responsibilty to help serve her community.

Jasmine Garcia

Jasmine is a senior at Lake Balboa College Prep. She has been on the Student Advisory Council for 3 years because she wanted to be more involved in her community. Jasmine is on the cross country and basketball team at her school. She is also the Senior Class President, a member of the School Site Council, and historian for her school’s PTSA. In addition, she was recently elected the youth representative for her local neighborhood council. Being a school representative for the SAC has allowed her to learn more about LAUSD, it’s policies, and the intricacies of how the district works. She spends her free time with friends and family. She is also a member of her church youth group and helps with the children’s ministry. She plans to receive her undergraduate degree and her ultimate educational goal is to receive a graduate degree.

Jasmine Orellana

Jasmine Orellana is the Associated Student Body President of North Hollywood High School. This is her first year in the Student Advisory Council. Jasmine joined for many reasonsincluding but not limited to: working with other students, keeping her peers updated, and giving the students a voice. She loves helping others and spreading awareness so students are up to date with all information during this very difficult time.

Angelo Frisina

Angelo Frisina is a senior at North Hollywood High School, a first-year member of Mr. Schmerelson’s SAC, and a musician above all else. An active member of several musical programs offered at NHHS, he understands the positive impact the Arts can have on students of all ages, and so he hopes to represent and voice the opinions of Arts Education courses and opportunities throughout LAUSD.

Kaylee Hong

Kaylee is a junior at North Hollywood High School, and this is her first year as a part of Student Advisory Council. She joined SAC to become more aware and engaged with her community, taking this great opportunity to meet other students and learn how to endure through the adversities. Kaylee is part of her school’s leadership and picked up new hobbies despite difficult times, such as teaching, journaling, and biking.

Jaden Stewart

Jaden Stewart is an 11th grader attending North Hollywood High School Highly Gifted Magnet. He enjoys public speaking, and hones these skills through Speech and Debate and Model United Nations. Additionally, he serves on Eric Garcetti’s Los Angeles Mayor’s Youth Council and has been recognized as a Top 3 Finalist for the 2021-22 State Board of Education Student Member position. In his free time, Jaden enjoys reading and watching movies. Jaden is excited and grateful to be on the Student Advisory Council and appreciates this unique opportunity for students to interact and assist local government with finding solutions to complex problems. This is his first year serving on the council. Jaden plans to pursue a career in public service, specifically law or politics, once he graduates.

Jorge Bejar, Jr.

Jorge enjoys playing basketball and playing on the varsity team for North Academy High School. He loves being around those who care about him. He strives to be the kindest person he can be to make those around him a little bit more happy.

Valeria Luquin

Valeria is a junior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. This is her second year on the Student Advisory Council. She looks forward to attending each SAC meeting and having the opportunity to speak and hear from district leaders. She is the Features Editor for her school’s news magazine and website, The Pearl Post. She was awarded the Gwen Ifill Student of the Year Award in 2019 by the News Literacy Project.

Ezekiel Buenaventura

Ezekiel, Zeke, is a Junior at the Valley Academy of Arts and Science. He has always been an active member of his community participating in any endeavor he is passionate about and giving his utmost effort. In his free time, he enjoys physical fitness and art. Zeke’s skill set, he believes, is public speaking and leadership -combined with his fervor to help others and support causes he is passionate about- he wishes to have a future in Law and public service, which is one of the reason he decided to join the SAC. It is his first year and he relishes in the fact that he has a say for his larger community at hand and has attained a better perspective into the way his school district functions.

Solana Martin

Solana is a junior at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is her first year in the Student Advisory Council. She joined because she wanted to meet students from other schools and learn about how to be a leader in her community. Solana loves playing sports and is on the soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse teams at VAAS. She hopes to keep her connection with sports by pursuing a career in physical therapy. In her free time, Solana likes to swim and bike, as well as spend time with her family and friends.