Education plays a very important role in our day-to-day life. It is necessary to society because not only does it help our knowledge, but in our everyday life as well. This is why Arizona created their State Board of Education. Without education, we wouldn’t be as skillful as we are today. The Arizona State Board of Education is responsible for managing the public school system. In this Board of Education, ten students were selected to be representatives on the Student Advisory Panel. Among these ten is Divya Natarajan, a junior here at ACP. 

Divya’s phenomenal opportunity started when she first discovered it on ACP’s Knightly Update, but Divya’s interest began long before that. She was fascinated by how our government makes decisions at the state level and policy making, thus sparking her interest in applying. During her freshman year, Divya worked and served on the Arizona Department of Education’s Superintendent Student Council, and she loved the experience of working with other students from different states on education reform. However, she wasn’t fulfilled, and she was hoping to expand her outreach and interaction with students across the state. When she read about this Student Panel, she knew this was perfect for her to advance her work.

When Divya found out that she was chosen to be one of the ten students working for the Board, she felt very honored as she got to represent the students of the Chandler-Gilbert area. In her words she described, “I am truly grateful for this opportunity as I look forward to creating a lasting impact on statewide education policies.” As a student herself, Divya understands the difficulties that are faced on a daily basis by other students; therefore, she is passionate and dedicated about mitigating these issues and being a voice for other students. As she says, “By speaking up about these concerns, I hope to create change and a better educational environment.”

At the panel, Divya just recently met the others for the first time. So far, they have been discussing potential projects and establishing general measures. Divya does hope to have a career centered around political science and economics. Having done Speech and Debate for three years, she is quite passionate about social and national issues. She would love to learn more about the factors that policymakers consider while making decisions. She is also very intrigued about choices regarding statewide asset allocation. Having earned this achievement, it means a lot to Divya because she represents her peers and advocate for important topics. Divya explains, “I believe that financial literacy is very important; however, in schools around Arizona, these skills are often overlooked and forgotten. Thus, I am looking forward to finding more ways to incorporate financial education into our statewide curriculum.”

Divya’s biggest takeaway from this is the power of a passion project. Divya urges that all students find an issue, no matter how big or small, and to work toward creating change. Divya also advises students to partake in as many opportunities in order to find a roadblock that they are truly passionate about. Divya thinks, “talking with other students both in or out of our school is a great way to brainstorm potential projects.”

Being a part of Arizona’s Board of Education is an astonishing opening to greater opportunities in life. This is a big accomplishment for not only Divya, but the ACP family, too. Divya’s background in Congressional Debate has been a driving force in her interests regarding policymaking and national reform. Divya’s final thought is, “I am excited to serve on the panel, and I can’t wait to improve upon my leadership and advocacy skills.” Go Knights!