Modesto High School Student Appointed to State Board of Education
Modesto High School’s Rana Banankhah will serve a one-year term beginning August 1
MODESTO, CA (June 2, 2021) – Modesto High School student Rana Banankhah was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Newsom. She will serve a one-year term beginning August 1.
Banankhah will be a senior in the 2021-2022 school year. She serves on a number of committees for Modesto City Schools, including the Inter-High Council, Student Advisory Council, District Wellness Committee and Local Control and Accountability Plan Committee. She was recently selected to serve as the 2021-2022 Student Representative to the Modesto City Schools Board of Education.
Modesto City Schools’ Superintendent, Dr. Sara Noguchi, commented: “We are thrilled for Rana and her selection to participate in a statewide position of this nature. I am confident she will devote herself to accurately representing the voice of the more than six million students throughout the state, especially from the lens of equity and inclusion across diverse school districts. Modesto City Schools is proud of Rana and her stellar accomplishments. She has a very bright future ahead of her!”
Each year since 1969, a California public high school student has been selected to serve a one-year term on the State Board of Education. The Student Member has full participation and voting rights, including participation in closed sessions.
Governor Newsom appointed Banankhah following a four-stage application process. The initial screening narrowed all applicants down to 12 semifinalists. School district governing board members then selected six of the 12 semifinalists for further consideration by the State Board of Education.
A Screening Committee interviewed the six final candidates and recommended three finalists to the Board. The Board then sent the names of the three finalists to the Governor. Representatives of the Governor interviewed the three finalists, and the Governor announced Banankhah’s appointment on Friday, May 28.
“It’s an absolute honor to have the opportunity to represent all of California’s 6.3 million students as their Student Board Member in the upcoming term,” Banankhah shared. “I’m looking forward to focusing on rebounding from the pandemic, reducing the achievement gap, and supporting student mental health. I also plan to ensure that historically underrepresented students have a voice and a say in shaping the education system.”
