Student Advisory Council 2022-23

Syeda Maliha Ali is a junior attending Lake Balboa College Preparatory Magnet K-12. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. When given a chance, she seizes it. Maliha is junior class president and enjoys being active in student leadership programs. Maliha is eager to expand her network of friends and colleagues. At Lake Balboa CP, she is a member of the Cinema Arts club and The South Asian Club of which she is president. Maliha enjoys spending time with family and volunteers at the Van Nuys Branch of the LA Public Library.

Mia is a sophomore attending Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences. She found out about this opportunity through her school and wanted to try something new to help her be more involved in her community. At her school, Mia is a member of the Principal's Cabinet and College Club. In these Student Advisory meetings, Mia hopes to gain new insight about community issues and give students a larger voice in what goes on behinds the scenes. When passing time, Mia loves to read, play video games, listen to music, draw, and chat with friends. In the future, Mia would like to explore and experiment with different areas and majors.

Ava is a senior at Van Nuys High school. This is her second year on the Student Advisory Council. She is interested in public policy and hopes the way to shape the way policy related to healthcare is enacted, discussed, and acted upon. Ava has always had a passion for advocacy and loves to help her peers understand the power behind their voice. In her free time she loves to cook, spend time with friends, and dance with her schools dance company.

Valerie Cordero goes to John R Wooden High School. This is her first year in student council; she heard about it from her friend Diego Lopez and thought it was a great opportunity that she wanted to take. Valerie is also in a lot of other things at her school like leadership and Students Run LA. She grew up in Panorama and in middle school moved to Northridge and she works part-time at Northridge Mall at a churro stand.

Julian is a senior at North Hollywood High School. He joined the Student Advisory Council this year because he wanted to advocate for arts programs and mental health. He is highly involved in the NHHS music department, and is even drum major of the North Hollywood Marching Band. He hopes to one day be a high school music teacher, but until then you can find him in musicals, at football games, or in the band room :)

Christopher is a sophomore at Lake Balboa College Preparatory Magnet K-12. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. He is looking forward to representing his school, and working with his peers to make sure their opinions are heard. Born and raised in Lake Balboa, Christopher wants to make a difference in his school and community. He is currently a part of the basketball, cross country, volleyball, and track teams at his school. He enjoys learning all subjects, but his favorite is Science. He plans to pursue a career in Biology.

Sophia is a student at Canoga Park High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. after learning about the opportunity her from assistant principle she decided that applying would be a great way to meet new people and work on her problem solving skills. Sophia is on the soccer team and is involved within school. In her free time she loves to spend time with her family and try new things.

Ana is a student at Jane Addams 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 helping and meeting students from the schools, and service with her knowledge in the classes to create different activities, and hopes to pursue a career in digital marketing and entrepreneurship after graduates. In her free time, she enjoys reading about personal development, receive mentoring and do exercise.

Thomas transferred to Stoney Point from Chatsworth high school. He transferred due to complications with working and turning in assignments. A lot happened in Tommy's life last year; his mother died and then the Covid pandemic happened. But now that he's trasferred to Stoney Point, he wants to have a more active role in school. Tommy loves biking and I loves building things out of anything. He is very social as long as you take the time to get to know him.

Zainab is a student at Northridge Academy High School. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. After hearing about the opportunity to be in SAC, Zainab was inspired to apply because she's can voice people's opinions, and she's interested in learning about how district opinions are formed. She's also involved in many aspects at school which allow her to expand her leadership skills. At Northridge Academy, Zainab is currently ASB President, involved in Senior Council, and a Peer College Counselor. In her free time, she enjoys being with friends and family and creating new memories.

Armen is a junior at John F. Kennedy High School. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. After learning about the opportunity from one of his counselors, he decided to apply because he was interested in meeting students from other schools, and learning more about how his school district makes policy decisions. His favorite part of SAC is getting to meet district leaders who make decisions that impact his school. At Kennedy, he is currently a member of the Arts & Media Council and part of the NJROTC Program. In his free time, he enjoys helping his dad with his business and spending time with friends and family.

Rohan is a student at North Hollywood High School. He joined the Student Advistory Council last year after hearing about the oppurtunity from his parents, and because of his interest in local government and community service. Rohan loves writing, reading, and public speaking, being a member of the Model United Nations club at his school, and hopes to pursue a career in politics. In his spare time, he likes running, listening to music, and spending time with his friends.

Michael is a sophomore at North Hollywood High School and a first-year member of the Student Advisory Council. He is interested in public policy and believes civic engagement is the key driver in making positive change in a community. As a member of the SAC, he seeks to promote student voices and advocate for policy solutions that best support their education. Michael is the president of his school's History Day team and will implement his experience in educational leadership to best support students' perspectives on educational policy matters.

Simiya is a junior at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences high school. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. She joined SAC after one of her teacher recommended her to apply since it is a great opportunity and she can gain a lot of experience working with other district leaders. Simiya is hoping to study architecture in college because she loves arts and mathematics and she takes part in lot of extracurricular activities in school. She was born and raised in Iran and moved to the USA in 2017!

Leo is a student at John F. Kennedy High School. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. After learning about the opportunity from one of his administrators on campus, he decided to apply because he was interested in making a positive difference in his district. Leo is the Vice-President of his SkillsUSA chapter on campus, and uses the skills learned such as leadership, teamwork, and communication in order to pursue a successful career. In his free time, he enjoys photography and takes photos.

Abigail is a senior at Van Nuys High School Medical Magnet. This is her second year on the Student Advisory Council. At school, she is the President of the Class of 2023, President of the Dance Program, President of the Mu Alpha Theta Chapter, Science Olympiad Co-Captain, and Dance Company Captain. Also part of the Associated Student Body, she is heavily engaged within student life, student services, and student needs. Outside of school, she is Founder and Executive Director for I Too Can STEM, focused to increase access to STEM education in low-income communities for historically under-represented demographics in STEM, such as women and students of color. She hosts free local park-events for students to experience hands-on learning opportunities, as well as partner with local non-profits to bring their students interactive learning resources. Through this experience, Abigail has found a passion within education equity and ensuring that all students have access to robust learning opportunity no matter their background. This has led her to join our youth civic engagement groups such as the: LAUSD Superintendent Student Advisory Council, Olivia E. Mitchell (LA City) Youth Council, and the LA Department of Public Health Youth Advisory Council. Her goal as a youth representative is to empower and advocate youth voice in decision making at a local, regional, and national level. At home, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, Juni, a cocker spaniel-chihuahua mix.

Destiny is a senior at Will Rogers High. It is her first year on the Student Advisory Council, as well as one of the first students to represent Will Rogers. She is very passionate about advocating for the students who feel like they have no voice. She is very interested in learning about how perspectives and opinions can fluctuate between different people. Destiny enjoys children and wants to take a child development course and eventually, have kids of her own. It has taken her a while to be able to voice her opinions due to fear of not being heard. This major opportunity will not only prepare her for her future, but also have an impact on how she pursues things in her personal life.

Diego is a student attending John R Wooden High School. This is his first year joining the Student Advisory Council. His teachers voted for him to join this opportunity and he was interesting right away to represent his school. Diego is eager to learn about how the schools and the students come together and talk about how LAUSD can make better policy decisions. He is also in a leadership team at Wooden High which plans events on campus. In his free time, Diego likes to make sure all his homework is don. Furthermore, if there’s any extra work he can do for his school he is the first to volunteer.

Yana is a senior at Lake Balboa College Preparatory. This is her second year on the Student Advisory Council. She heard about the Student Advisory Council through her teachers and wanted to get involved to learn more about LAUSD and the community. She currently serves as the Associate Student Body President of her school and is the Captain of the girls varsity volleyball team. Yana also takes part in the school's Young Scholars club, the Armenian Awareness club, The newsletter club, and the Local School Leadership Council. Yana plans on majoring in Political Science and doing her part in helping the community with legal issues. In her free time Yana enjoys reading, playing the piano, and spending time with her family/friends.

Jessica is a Junior at Grover Cleveland Charter High School and is apart of the Humanities Magnet. This is her first year on the Student Advisory Council, and is excited to take action in bettering her school and district policies. She is apart of the Varsity Waterpolo and Swim team in her school, and enjoys participating in various activities outside of school like Volunteering at the Hospital and her local Child Develop Institute. After school, she hopes to pursue a career in Law and Justice.

Jacob is a senior at Cleveland High School. He joined the Student Advisory Council a year ago to learn about public service for a future political career. Jacob retains those goals today, but looks forward to strengthening his partnership with other SAC members to address student demands. At Cleveland, Jacob co-runs Model UN, debate, and YDSA, but most of all he enjoys talking to his peers about the challenges facing them as young people. In his free time, he relaxes by reading, listening to music, and playing tennis.

Puente is a student at Will Rogers High School. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. After learning about the opportunity from his principal, he decided to apply because he was interested in meeting students, advisors from other schools, and learning more about how his school district makes policy decisions. Puente is a teacher assistants and attends a class at Van Nuys High School which consists of welding signs etc to further help his interests pursuing Navy Welding. In his free time he enjoys watching the Dodger games and spending time with his loved ones.

Nira is making her way towards her senior year at Will Rogers Continuation High, joining the Student Advisory Council to expand her skills and make her school proud. Nira really enjoys debates, philosophy, all forms of art and music. It really motivates her to push through and graduate. Although it’s too early to tell, SAC will be a fun way to connect with people and see different perspectives.

It is Anthony Ramirez's first year at Stoney point and he is eager to representing his new school. Some of Anthony's hobbies are biking running and boxing. Some other high schools he's attended were Chatsworth and Central city in Los Angeles.

Vanessa is a senior at North Hollywood High School. She joined the Student Advisory council this year, to pursue her passion for civic engagement and education. Vanessa genuinely enjoys actively participating in her community and meeting new people. With her willingness to learn and challenge herself, she strives to be a self- starter who inspires others to do the same. Vanessa is part of her school’s cross country team and track team. She is also part of SRLA, where she trains to run the LA Marathon in 2023. Vanessa is also an active member of her schools Latin American Student Association and Upstanders club. She is very eager to collaborate with her peers in order to provide possible solutions to issues that are affecting LAUSD students. Vanessa hopes to inspire others to take action to make the changes they want to see in the world.

Alan is a junior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council and he is excited to start working with his peers on policy decisions for LAUSD. Alan is the Online Editor-in-Chief of his school's newswebsite The Pearl Post and is considering entering the journalism and communications field. In his free time, Alan plays baseball in his backyard and watches every single Dodger game. He can't wait to get involved in the Student Advisory Council to represent the views of his school's community.

Zoey is a junior at Cleveland High School. She joined SAC in the 2021-2022 year and really loves learning about the different topics discussed at meetings. Zoey is on leadership for the Cleveland debate team and vice president of GSA. Additionally, Zoey also runs a local non-profit website called IUY which is an online safe space for LBGTQ+ youth. In her free time, Zoey enjoys playing sports, writing, playing guitar, and listening to music.

Gwen is a senior at Van Nuys High School, and this is her first year on the Student Advisory Council. Having worked with gifted students for several years, she is very passionate about educational equity and hopes to gain further insight into the process of educational policymaking on a district level. She participates as an executive within numerous nonprofit organizations, an officer in many of her school's clubs and JROTC program, and a member of several advisory councils. She loves to spend time with her friends and family, travel, and read every book she can get her hands on.

Ansh Singh is a sophomore at Chatsworth Charter High School G+ STEAM Magnet. This is his first year on the Student Advisory Council. When he was informed by his school administrator about this amazing opportunity, he wanted it to be a memorable experience in relation to being involved with leadership. He wants to express a lot of his ideas about improving schools in many aspects while collaborating with other members. Ansh is a member of the G+ STEAM Council at his school and participates in MUN (Model United Nations). After being raised in Porter Ranch, he was inspired to join D-Groups at Shepherd Church. Through this program, he was able to talk to other people about his faith and making the right decisions in life. Some hobbies that Ansh occupies his free time with, are basketball, reading, and playing video games.

Hector Valle goes to school at Aggeler High School. This will be his first time in the Student Advisory Council. When Hector heard about SAC, he thought it would be a great learning experience. Some other thing’s about Hector are that he likes the color purple and sports, especailly soccer and football. Another thing he likes to do is challenge his brain from time to time because its always good to keep your brain sharp; which is why he likes to play chess. One last thing about him is that he likes dogs, turtles, fish, and birds and every other creature. Which is why he is thinking about becoming a Zoologist in the future.

Richard is a Senior at Chatsworth Charter High School. Richard is heavily involved within his school and loves going to the gym. He joined the Student Advisory Council a year ago in hopes of making a change within his school. Being a part of the student government in his school as well as being ASB President, he hopes that with the help of SAC, students at his school will be more encouraged to become leaders of their own.

Francisco Zamora is a student at independence continuation school. He joined the student advisory council just this year after all his teachers suggested it to him. When he heard what SAC involves you in, he wanted to become a member to help the students at his school and make other schools a better place to work in too. Francisco prefers to be called Pancho and he loves to write about anything. For example, it could be about how his day has been or trying to make a movie script or just poetry. Francisco loves to help people if they ever have a problem with anything.