Huge youth voice element, 7 reps, with Education Relations Committee
With Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen not limiting the number of youth representatives on its Education Relations Committee, seven students — all Farragut High School upperclassmen — recently were welcomed to serve on this year’s committee.
Vaishnavi Tathineni, Michelle Lin, Abby Doyle, Davis Baxter, Lauren King, Sophie Lu and William Cabaniss are those representatives.
Tathineni
“I love serving on the committee, as I get to represent other FHS students as well as meet other students that are also representatives,” said Tathineni, a senior, 17, and daughter of Sharmila and Satish Tathineni. “... I think that I can bring my skills of collaboration and critical thinking to the committee.
“... I have always been a people person and I hope I am able to reflect that,” she added.
Tathineni plans to major in economics and a minor in computer science once in college. “It is a goal of mine to become a lawyer that is for the greater good,” she said. “I believe that serving on this committee will give me a foresight on how to talk to and represent others.”
Lin
“Living in Farragut and being supported by its incredible school system all my life, I understand the importance of quality education and a strong community in shaping the future of our students,” said Lin, a senior and daughter of Jun Lin and Ying Wang.
“When I entered Farragut High School, I was blessed with the opportunity to be very involved with our school’s Student Government Association, which works closely with the Town of Farragut.
“... Last fall, after witnessing how much our local legislatures value the viewpoints of their people, including the students, I had the privilege of presenting my thoughts before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen concerning court allocations for the FHS tennis team.”
Entering her second term as a youth representative, “I’ve been fortunate to engage in their meetings and various projects, such as the Admiral FUNd and promoting community efforts for the Love Kitchen, which allowed me to propose new ideas and elevate the voices of my peers.”
Lin plans to pursue studies in ethics, public policy and economics.
Doyle
“I wanted the chance to bring a new perspective, being in the high school, and I also wanted to be able to help other schools, like volunteer,” the junior said about applying for the youth leadership role. “I’m helping with one of the primary school’s activities because Jhasta Tack, the PTO president there, asked me.
“I hope to learn how to be able to voice issues better and to learn how to interact with people who are not the same age as me,” added the daughter of Kara and Matthew Doyle.
Doyle has aspirations of being a pediatrician.
Baxter
“I think serving on the Education Relations Committee is a great privilege,” said Baxter, a17-year-old junior at FHS.
”It puts me in a position to see what’s happening at all the Farragut schools,” he added. “... I had a friend who served on it in the past. He told me the Education Relations Committee was interesting because it had so much relevance to me as a student.
“...I am a Christian. This guides my actions, and I try to show God to the people around me through all of my work.”
Looking ahead “I want to explore several colleges, but the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt are currently at the top of my list,” he said.
Baxter said his skills “guide me to finance, accounting and business management career paths.”
King
“I am so grateful to be surrounded by hardworking people who care for students’ education,” said King, a senior and daughter of Christi and Cedric King. “Helping out the board in anyway I can brings me purpose and joy. It’s a rewarding experience.
“I have always had an interest the mechanics of education systems,” she added.
“I have always been a STEM nerd. ... Because of this, engineering has always been an easy career choice for me,” she said. “I plan on enrolling in UT (Knoxville’s) exploratory engineering program to narrow down my interests.
Lu
“I believe student input is incredibly valuable when it comes to our education, and I can’t wait to see what all the committee can do,” said Lu, a junior, 16, and daughter of Qi Qi and Wei Lu.
“... Hopefully, after my term as a youth representative, I will know more about how our school system functions, as well as how to make our school community a better place for everyone,” she added.
“... I think my biggest strength is my willingness to learn from past mistakes.”
Looking ahead, “I am currently a competitive swimmer, and I hope to carry that with me into college,” said Lu, also hoping to double major in public policy and earth sciences.
Cabaniss
”I love serving on the committee because I am able to have an active voice in discussion and ensure that FHS has the support of our outstanding town officials,” said Cabaniss, a senior, 17, and son of Mark and Jillina Cabaniss.
“I applied to serve on the Town’s Education Relations Committee because I wanted to advocate for Farragut High School and have a place to share the thoughts and concerns of students with the leaders of our local government, who have gone above and beyond to benefit students from primary to high school,” the senior added.
After graduating high school, “I want to attend college to further my learning and continue to grow as an individual,” Cabaniss said.
