We wrote back in the summer about the appointment of a Waynesboro High School senior, Aidan Rodriguez, to the Virginia Student Advisory Board, which gives students across Virginia the chance to work with the Secretary of Education to ensure that student voices are heard in the creation of policies affecting education in the Commonwealth.
The appointment was announced by the office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger over the summer.
“I was immediately surprised,” said Rodriguez, who was recognized for the appointment at a meeting of the Waynesboro School Board last month.
“After I got over the initial thought, my brain started racing with different ideas and policies on how I’d use my position to help education thrive throughout Virginia,” said Rodriguez, who will serve as the representative for Region 5, which has borders running from Louisa County in the east to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, down to Bedford and Lynchburg, to the West Virginia border.
Rodriguez wants to bring state leaders a fuller picture of students’ lives and needs. He said his friendships with students who have different academic experiences, attendance challenges and language backgrounds have shaped his commitment to listening to representing others.
His volunteer work at Camp LIGHT, a summer camp for people with special needs, also sparked his interest in the experiences of students receiving special education services.
“I want to make sure that state leaders are able to see the authentic experiences and challenges that students face and not just surface level assumptions,” Rodriguez said.
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Chris Graham
