A Florence teen will be the next student to hold a seat on the Kentucky Board of Education.
Joud Dahleh, a sophomore at the Ignite Institute in Boone County, was appointed to a one-year term as a non-voting member of the Kentucky Board of Education and is also serving on Education Commissioner Jason Glass’s Student Advisory Council.
As a non-voting member, Dahleh may offer input on policy decisions that affect the state’s public schools. She was chosen among 17 potential candidates in the 4th Congressional District.
At just 16 years old, Dahleh says it is an honor to be selected as the second public school student to hold a position on the KBE and hopes to use this opportunity to provide the representation she always wanted as a child.
“Arab representation has always been minimal in school settings, and it wasn’t until I reached high school that someone recognized that part of me,” she said. “I can speak on how important and influential education is and what it can do for you. I will be a prime example of how education and willpower can make you a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Dahleh serves as a volunteer at St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital and is a peer tutor and mentor for students with disabilities. She remembered a patient who recently was admitted to St. Elizabeth made a blanket and asked all the nurses and volunteers to write something special on it before the hospital discharged the patient.
“You could just tell how excited they were when each nurse or each volunteer walked into their room and signed their blanket,” Dahleh said. “They were just really happy to be helped and really happy that there was a community who cared for them. I want other people to be able to feel that way.”
She plans to one day use these experiences to become a travel nurse and continue assisting those in need.
Now, as a member of the KBE, she plans to bring that same feeling of community to all students across the Commonwealth.
“My biggest goal is just to represent students,” she said. “Education is a topic that I am very passionate about. If education changes, I want to be engaged in the process. You cannot make a difference by sitting around and waiting for someone to make it for you. As students, we often forget how important our voice is and the power we hold. The moment we utilize our voice is when we understand what we are capable of.”
Glass said Dahleh’s membership on the advisory council and board is “invaluable.”
“Kentucky’s students are who our education system is designed for and they bring such a valuable voice,” Glass said. “They often bring light to problems and offer solutions that simply don’t occur to adults.”
KBE Chair Lu S. Young said she is excited to work alongside Dahleh and students like her.
“I am delighted to welcome Joud as the next student member of the Kentucky Board of Education,” she said. “Ensuring that a student has a seat at the table as we make critical decisions for public schools is the right thing to do. Hearing from Joud, amplifying the voices of her peers, will only make those decisions more powerful and more relevant.”
Dahleh will begin her role with the KBE on July 1. Her term will expire on June 30, 2023.