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Every year, students are represented on the ISD 197 School Board by two seniors. This year’s representatives are Patrick Bohmbach and Nawal Hassan.
What do they do: These student board representatives attend school board meetings, give monthly reports, and engage in the meeting by asking questions and sharing their perspective.
The Two Rivers Tribune sat with the duo to talk about their involvement on the school board:
What got you interested in this position?
Hassan: I was interested in the position because I already currently did a lot of equity work and just work for the district overall in the past three years of me being a student at Two Rivers High School. I thought that I want to be able to carry my experiences, even further up the school district.
Bohmbach: Over my past few years at Two Rivers, I’ve done a lot of mentor work for activities like Speech and Debate, but I wanted to further my involvement in our school district. After working with the Minnesota House of Representatives earlier in the year as a teen page, I knew I was passionate about working on policy and specifically education-related matters.
What strengths will you bring to the board?
Bohmbach: My time in various activities has allowed me to connect with a variety of students, whose voices I would like to carry with me onto the board.
Hassan: Some strengths I bring to the table are the ability to continuously speak up, to not back down, and to really comprehend everything that’s going on.
What are you looking forward to as you serve on the board?
Hassan: I’m looking forward to building a connection with others on the school board and making positive changes toward the right direction in our school district.
Application Process
Hassan and Bohmbach had to go through an application process, involving two letters of recommendation, an essay, and an interview with members of the board.
What was it like to find out you were selected to represent ISD 197?
Bohmbach: I was overjoyed. I felt like my years of experience were for something. When it came to who I wanted to be next to on the board, I was excited to be with anyone, but my very first thought was, “I need to text Nawal,” because I knew she would get it.
What is your advice to juniors eager to apply?
Hassan: To upcoming juniors that want to take on this role, just be yourself, it’s your character that is really going to make it for you!
Bohmbach: Don’t be afraid to give it a shot, even if you think you’re “not good enough,” because showing your true character is the most important thing when applying!
Thank you to our upcoming ISD 197 school board student representatives, we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!
(Originally published in the 2024 Summer Edition of the Two Rivers Tribune and updated for the West St. Paul Reader and reprinted with permission.)
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