Willowbrook senior named to ISBE Student Advisory Council

Willowbrook senior Sally Nijim has been named to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Student Advisory Council (SAC).

Nijim joins 16 other sophomore, junior and senior high school students from throughout Illinois to form the council, and the group convened on Sept. 22 and 23 in Springfield for its first meeting of the 2015-16 school year. Members of the SAC work with ISBE and State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D., providing student perspectives and concerns on the state’s education policies.

“I applied to join the council because I want to be a voice for the students in my school and community and advocate for policies and positive changes in the state education and schooling system,” Nijim said.

Nijim said she underwent a competitive review process to become a member of the SAC, which included completing an application with two essay questions. She was then selected from the pool of applicants to interview with multiple ISBE Board members.

“Seeing the acceptance letter was quite a shock for me,” Nijim said. “It is a great honor to be part of the council. It will be such an incredible experience to be able to represent Illinois public school students.”

Each year, members of the SAC select a topic they research in depth and present to ISBE in the spring. Nijim said her group plans to focus on the topic of teacher evaluations.

“It is my hope our research project will eventually aid in influencing legislation passed in the future, so the Illinois education system can continue to enrich the mind of each student,” Nijim said.

The SAC will next meet on Nov. 18 and 19 in Springfield. The SAC was established in 1975, and all sophomores, juniors and seniors who attend an Illinois public high school are eligible to apply. For more information, go to www.isbe.net/SAC/default.htm.