Lynbrook High School’s Rani Mavram has taken the reins as the student representative for the Fremont Union High School District board of trustees for the 2014-15 school year.
The 17-year-old fit right in at her first meeting Aug. 26, when she was officially seated at her post at the district office.
She attributes this to an impressive body of experience, including starting her own business at the age of 16 and serving as the National Executive Parliamentarian with the Future Business Leaders of America.
“I started off my leadership experience my sophomore year on Lynbrook’s ASB,” Rani said. “You’re mostly working with staff, students, maybe some faculty as well, but nothing at the administrative level and that was something that really intrigued me.”
The senior served in many capacities on the Associated Student Body (ASB), from student board representative to intra-district council representative, but wanted to do more.
“I never saw that clear distinction between student life and essentially the board of trustees that makes the decisions and policies that we live by now,” she said.
As the student board representative, Rani hopes to close the gap between student life and what’s going on in the district.
“I feel like as a student myself coming into Lynbrook, I didn’t know anything about what was going on in the district or what other schools were doing, and that was something I wanted to combat,” she said. “Maybe a YouTube video or a monthly newsletter, but I felt like since all these policies are pertaining to us we have the right to know.”
Rani believes her experience as the chief executive officer and founder of Maarifa International, LLC, will give her a large advantage.
The organization provides “additional opportunities and resources to aspiring students in career and academic fields to foster the development of educational and personal goals while also developing occupational competencies.”
Participants attend interactive conferences at local schools, help at fundraisers and events in the neighborhood, and form partnerships with small businesses.
FUHSD board member Bill Wilson said Rani plays a big role in helping board members understand the student perspective and communicating to students what is happening at the district level.
“She has already made significant contributions to our deliberations on items such as using social networking to better communicate with students, parents and the community,” Wilson said.
FUHSD superintendent Polly Bove added that like the 43 representatives before her, Rani represents the voices of all the students in the Fremont Union High School District, which is nearly 11,000 students.
“Rani is already doing a great job of communicating the opinions, endeavors and accomplishments of her fellow students,” Bove said. “Her enthusiasm and commitment to this demanding role is obvious, and we look forward to having her help us all do a better job of meeting the needs of our students.”
