The newly selected USD #116 Board of Education Student Ambassadors are ready to get to work, and community service is already a very familiar concept to the duo.
Senior D’meneca Turner-Winston and junior, Paulina Angrave, took their oaths of office at the August 22 Board of Education meeting.
Turner-Winston decided to serve as a student ambassador with the goal of connecting the Board to issues and concerns facing minority students. “As a minority student actively involved in a diverse group of activities in the school and community, I already receive feedback and opinions from my peers,” Turner-Winston said.
Turner-Winston is an active member of the Urbana High School Band, National Honor Society, UHS African American Club, UHS band student council, Girl Scouts of Central IL, National Council for Negro Women, Champaign County NAACP junior life member, Banks Bridgewater Lewis Fine Arts Academy performance ensemble and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Angrave decided to apply for the student ambassador position to gain new perspectives and to help improve the school. “I want to assist other individuals in creating a safe, fair and well-disposed environment for everyone regardless of their race/ethnicity, gender identification, sexual orientation, mental/physical disabilities, socioeconomic status or religion,” Angrave said.
Angrave is a Carle Hospital/Carle Clinic volunteer and involved in the International Thespian Society, UHS theater program/drama club, UHS ballet folklórico de los tigres, the UHS Latin American Club, the UHS Color Guard, the National Honor Society and the cheerleading team.
Angrave has received recognition for her community service from the Mayoral Recognition Program and has previously volunteered with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank and the UHS Habitat for Humanity. She has also been selected to participate in a medical volunteer trip to Indonesia from the Global Leadership Adventures Organization
Angrave and Turner-Winston were selected from a pool of applicants. Students had to apply and go through an interview process.
The Student Ambassador Program started as part of the Board of Education’s effort to engage and be responsive to all District stakeholders; this includes learning about opinions, issues and concerns related to student experiences in District schools.
The student ambassadors will be responsible for the following:
- Attending all regular meetings of the Board of Education
- Meeting with a variety of students and student groups in order to gain a broad understanding of student interests, concerns, and needs.
- Share information received from the Board of Education meetings with the student body.
- Representing all students.
- Communicating student viewpoints on issues before the Board
- Answering Board questions and concerns from a student perspective.
- Reviewing the Board meeting packet and student-generated discussion items with their Principal prior to each Board meeting.
While the Student Ambassadors will attend Board meetings, they do not have voting privileges and may not participate in closed executive sessions of the Board.