Tiana Amos • Junior • Plano East Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I enjoy playing sports and participating in school clubs. I am a junior at Plano East Senior High, and I am a third-year returning varsity starter for PESH Girls' Varsity Basketball. I love my coaches and teammates, they always make it enjoyable and competitive when we practice and play. I’ve been playing school and AAU basketball since third grade, so it’s been a total of nine years that I’ve been playing basketball. I also ran cross country in eighth grade and competed in track & field from sixth to ninth grades. I like to spend time participating in school activities. I am the president of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and a member of National Honor Society. I’ve been active in FCA since sixth grade and really love spreading the good news of Christ through love and fellowship with people. I was the president of NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) in eighth grade, and after being inducted my sophomore year into National Honor Society, I am now a member at the senior high. 

Community service:

• The type of community service I engage in includes serving and volunteering at the Plano Balloon Festival, volunteering as staff at local elementary events, serving in homeless shelters and participating in food drives/banks. What interests me most about community service is the act of lending a helping hand and connecting with others. An act of kindness goes a long way, and it shows people that others do genuinely care. Giving back and serving others teaches us to humble ourselves and be empathetic. It really interests me, because I’ve been in their shoes before, and I know what it feels like when people show they care. Community service broadens your perspective and brings unity to often distant communities. Community service teaches me to serve others before myself. The best leaders are the best servants. By engaging with the community around me, I leave my footsteps of legacy and stepping stones to a better future for the next generation.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject is anything that involves reading and writing, so I love my English/reading and humanities/American studies classes the most. I love any class that involves reading, because it allows you to escape into another world, another time and another person. Reading stimulates my mind and brings forth knowledge. I love reading poetry, short stories, novels or even historical documentaries. Reading helps us to understand the world we live in and allows us to engage in another world that we would want to live in. I love writing short stories, screenplays, poetry, movies, etc. When I write, I can go anywhere. Writing puts the power in your hands. You can do so many things through writing. Writing allows me to let my spirit run free and go where it pleases.

Hobbies or other interests:

• A hobby I have during my spare time, if I have any, is I like to print out scenes from classic and iconic shows/movies, important people or unforgettable memories. Using these images, I like to collage them on one of my bedroom walls. Ranging from a picture of Barack Obama with a basketball to a scene from Clueless, I like to collect pieces of the art of creativity and the importance of living life to its fullest extent.

Anything else?

• Something else that I’d like to include is a message that everyone should engrave on their hearts: “Cultivate roots of love planted from the seeds of empathy and compassion.” We all come from different backgrounds, different experiences, different communities, but as long as we understand that we don’t always understand, then progress can be made. Take recognition of each others’ plights and open your heart to receive people as they are. We are only as high as our lows. You may not have been in that person’s shoes before, but respect the path that they walked in those shoes. Be compassionate. Be love. Be light. Always.

Anika Bokil • Senior • Plano East Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I thoroughly enjoy participating in speech and debate where I am a nationally ranked congressional debater. I have been doing congressional debate since ninth grade, and it has given me an opportunity to travel the country, learn about current events and get more involved in politics. I am also an executive board member in UNICEF where I am able to take what I have learned from debate and spread awareness in the school environment. I have participated in UNICEF for the past three years, and this will be my fourth. Additionally, I have played the piano for nine years and enjoy composing music for fun in my free time. I have participated in additional clubs such as science fair and National Honor Society for the past four years, as well.

Community service:

• Through various clubs such as UNICEF and student council, I have had the opportunity to lead drives for the refugee center in Dallas, Children’s Hospital in Plano, nursing homes and homeless shelters where we were able to provide either necessities or meaningful gifts to the members of our community. Additionally, I tutor children in Gideon Math and Reading Center and have had the opportunity to play the piano at nursing homes. I believe giving back to the community in any way possible is essential, as not only does it make you feel good, but it can either help those in need or can make someone’s day.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• Currently, my favorite subject is AP economics. I love learning about how our policies and exchange of goods and services work and why different countries have different economic situations. This subject combines my love for math and my passion in policy to help comprehend how the economy works.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I have had the opportunity to be an invitational speaker as a panelist and on podcasts to talk about current issues in our nation and the world as a whole. I am on the national board for a non-profit organization known as “Beyond Resolved” to help create gender equality and increase inclusivity in the national debate community. I have also had the opportunity to assist Congressional candidates with their campaign in terms of phone banking and policy!

Anything else?

• I am excited to be part of the superintendent's advisory committee for another year!

Ava Dawson • Junior • Plano West Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I have been involved in student council for the past two years. I enjoy running, and I am active in my church. I am also president of an organization called Moms SOS (Moms Serving Our Students) at Plano West.

Community service:

• My favorite philanthropy is the Store House which is located at my church, St. Andrew United Methodist Church. I love this organization because I am a member of St. Andrew which allows me to feel connected to the people I am serving. I am also president of an organization at Plano West called Mom’s Serving Our Students which allows me to be a liaison between students in need and families in our community.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject in school is math. I specifically have always enjoyed algebra because I love to work through different problems until I get them correct. I like it because there is only one right answer and a set way of doing things which keeps it consistent.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Prior to COVID-19, I worked at a children’s party place as a host for parties. Due to the virus, things have slowed down, but I am hoping they will pick back up soon. I currently work at a new iced tea place called HTeaO and have been an employee there for about five months. I also enjoy traveling to the beach, mountains, skiing, hiking and playing with my dog.

Jacqueline George • Junior • Plano East Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I’m a cheerleader at Plano East Senior High school, and the things I enjoy most are getting to bond with teammates and helping each other out with the routines. This is also my first year doing cheer.

Community service:

• The type of community service I like to engage in is teaching little kids from three to eight years old how to swim. And what really engages me is I get to see these kids improve their swimming skills.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject is history, because I love learning new things about the world.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I am in the IB World School at Plano East. I have been a swim instructor at Tom Muehlenbeck Center, teaching cute little kids how to excel in swimming. I love cooking! I’m a very dedicated person when it comes to school. I like cheer a lot, because I get to do cool stunts and bond with new people. And I love music, and I love making my friends laugh!

Anything else?

• My goal is to graduate with my IB diploma, 4.0 GPA, high SAT and ACT score and get accepted to any Ivy League university and to become a dermatologist surgeon.

Caden Glasscock • Senior • Plano Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I enjoy student congress which I have been a part of for two years. This has helped me grow as a leader and be elected senior class president.

Community service:

• I have also been involved in Young Men’s Service League for four years. We are required to have at least 30 hours of community service per year. I like being able to help people who are not as fortunate as I am.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject in school is probably history, because I like learning about the things that make us who we are as a country and learning about what we have done in the past.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I am a huge fan of the Denver Broncos, although we have not been too good since Superbowl 50. At least the Broncos have won a superbowl more recently than the Dallas Cowboys.

Natalia Houle • Senior • Plano ISD Academy High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I have been a part of Titan Robotics for four years as part of marketing, outreach and build. Now, I am a co-project manager for the team. I was in National Junior Honor Society as a sixth grader, became an officer in eighth grade and transitioned into National Honor Society. I have also been a Girl Scout for ten years and finished my Gold Award this past summer.

Community service:

• Most of my community service is for city events, small organizations through Girl Scouts or through robotics. I like being able to help people with anything they need, like Bigweld from the movie Robots said, “See a need; fill a need.”

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject is math, because I love the logic behind it. I really like algebra and calculus. I also include math in my art. I work on a lot of geometric and perspective art.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Over the next few years, I hope to join the National Guard during college, earn a Bachelors in Civil Engineering and a Masters degree in Business Administration/Project Management.

Connor Johnson • Senior • Plano East Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I have played basketball on the varsity team at Plano East for three years. I am a member of National Honor Society for the past two years and a member of the beta club for three years as well.

Community service:

• In community service, I have helped create and participated in events. I have given back to the community of Plano by reading stories to children (over Zoom) to keep them entertained. At Plano East, I have helped complete a cleaning of the exterior campus. I have also helped to organize a military drive and school supplies drive around school. The thing that interests me the most about the service is the fact that I am helping other people’s lives improve. It does not have to be a lot, but helping someone else’s life improve marginally is very rewarding.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite class is history because of the discussions and overall topic. I am not necessarily a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) guy, because I understand humanities subjects more, and they are more interesting to me. In my world history class, we were able to have discussions about current events and the implications of events like the hearing of Brett Kavanaugh or technologies like CRISPR-Cas9. That class in particular was my favorite because it included two of my favorite teachers, Ms. Holloway and Mr. Sklar. They are an English teacher and history teacher respectively. We called them the A-team, because they work so well together during class. They fused the topics we were learning that day to create lessons with both English, history and sometimes art. If we were learning about the decolonization of Africa, we would study the methods the countries would take to gain their freedom while also reading literature of the same period. That was my favorite class I have taken so far.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I am an avid Dallas sports fan - from the "Boys" to the "Mavs" to the Rangers to the Western Conference Champion stars, I love them all. Although, the Rangers have been pretty bad in recent years. Besides sports, I love classical rock and alternative rock. Mainly every genre of rock. I’ve taken a particular interest in the Velvet Underground and Weezer recently.

Anything else?

• I am just excited to come back to the monthly meetings and get back to normal. The times we are living in are tough, but I am glad that, one by one, life is getting closer to what is was before March. 

Kayla Lewis • Senior • Plano West Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• A strong passion of mine is soccer! Ever since I was six years old, I have loved being able to get active outside while playing with some of my best friends. In addition to this, I am involved in National Honor Society, conservation club, and I also enjoy my platform as Plano West’s student council secretary. Having the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of like-minded student leaders keeps me inspired to do my part in representing my school every day!

Community service:

• Each second Saturday of the month, I volunteer to feed the homeless alongside an organization called United Friends to Feed the Homeless in downtown Dallas. Although I volunteer with multiple other organizations, this particular organization has provided me the great service of giving back to those in need, as well as hearing their amazing stories!

Favorite subject or teacher:

• In general, my favorite subject is math, because it has always come easily to me. Most people consider me to be very analytical and punctilious. Furthermore, after taking Spanish for the last couple of years, my love for the language and culture has continued to grow more and more.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Unfortunately, this summer was not very eventful in terms of traveling and work due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. Because of this, my family and I thoroughly enjoyed quarantining together by having game night and watching all of the Marvel Movies. I am a huge fan of Marvel; my favorite movie is Avengers: Endgame!

Anything else?

• I can’t wait to continue playing a part in the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee!

Gabriela Rupp • Junior • Plano Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I have participated in orchestra, ASL club (American Sign Language), and GSA (gender sexuality alliance) throughout high school. This year, I am also excited to start the High School Democrats club at Plano Senior High and serve as a junior chairman on student congress. Outside of school, I spend a lot of time in ballet and am in my seventh year as a member of Plano Metropolitan Ballet.

Community service:

• This summer, I made and sold masks with a friend and donated the money to Minnie’s Food Pantry. I’ve also been doing some volunteering related to voter registration for this November. What interests me most about community service is the opportunity to take care of one another and grow in understanding of others’ situations.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject is usually history, but I also enjoy orchestra a lot. My favorite class is humanities because of the opportunities for creative expression and collaboration. I’ve been really lucky to have lots of awesome teachers, but some of my favorites have been Ms. Houchin from Robinson PACE, as well as Mr. Stanton and Ms. Garafola both from Jasper High School humanities.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Although it’s currently on hold for COVID reasons, I’ve had lots of fun teaching ballet to seven to eight year olds since I was in eighth grade. In my free time, I love crafting and listening to music. 

Radhika Sinha • Junior • Plano Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I definitely love being a part of student congress. I’ve already met so many great people and can’t wait to continue next year. This year I’m also starting a spikeball club that incorporates volunteering into it, which is going to be a lot of fun because spikeball is a really fun activity I enjoy playing with my friends. I’ve been volunteering in different organizations since I was in pre-school.

Community service:

• I do a lot of community service! One of my favorites is Meals on Wheels where we deliver hot meals to the less fortunate around the holiday seasons, especially Thanksgiving. I love it. I think it's so great to see how happy others can be, having so little, it really shows us that we should be thankful for what we have.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• The best teacher I ever had was my seventh and eighth grade Spanish teacher, Mrs. Russell. She made learning so much fun, and really cared about kids absorbing information rather than just tests and grades.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Over the summer, I had an internship at Mission Possible Kids. It’s an organization that makes it possible for kids to start helping out and making a difference from a young age, and I got to help with a bunch of cool projects with them this summer.

Anything else?

• One difference I’d like to see made in Plano schools would be to bring back the idea that in school we learn. As of right now it’s more of a cycle; memorize, test, forget. Let’s change that. We come into school to figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives, to explore all the different things we could be doing ten years from now. Let us explore that!

GiAnni Spears • Senior• Plano Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I love to dance! I've been dancing since I was eight years old, so I'm coming up on the ten year mark. I'm also a huge fan of art. I really enjoy painting, and I’m currently creating an art wall. These two things have gotten me through some tough times.

Community service:

• I love to pack food. Feed My Starving Children is my favorite place to do community service, since we learn about who receives the food we make.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• I enjoy geography. I really find third-world countries engaging. I like to study how our actions impact people all over the world and how past actions are affecting us now. I realize how blessed I am to have a roof over my head and food on my table. Many people aren’t able to have the opportunities I’m connected to through an amazing school system, so I feel the least I can do is to be educated in how these people live. So that one day if I can help them personally or at least educate other people on their situation, I can.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I’ve been a part of a shirt-making business and jewelry business both owned by my godmother. I had the opportunity to to see a business grow from her own home. I have had cleaning jobs and babysitting jobs as well.

Anything else?

• I am also in the process of being polyglot! I am in Spanish 5 AP in school, and I'm learning French and Chinese outside of school. I know a little bit of American Sign Language as well. I really want to be able to connect with people. I want to create a connection where there is a mutual connection and comfort, and I feel the common thing that disrupts that is language barriers. I'm working on breaking that down. I have an amazing autistic brother who truly motivates me! He has taught me a lot these past seven years. I have worked with people who are deaf/hearing impaired, walking impaired, etc. I truly love the differences between me and a person I meet.

Tanvi Talla • Senior• Plano West Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• Some extracurricular activities I enjoy are art and basketball! I’ve been taking art lessons and competing in competitions ever since elementary school, and I’m so excited that I finally have the opportunity to take AP Art 2D & Design in school this year. Art has always been an awesome way for me to unwind from the rigors of high school and indulge in a little creativity. Basketball is another hobby of mine. I used to play for Robinson Middle School and Jasper High School from seventh to ninth grade.

Community service:

• As Plano West Student Council Vice President, I have the amazing opportunity to organize school projects like Black History Month, Suicide Prevention Month and Voter Registration activities. Being a part of such important projects and working with school administration to promote student safety, environmental protection and mental health awareness has been such an impactful experience.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject this year is AP Art 2D & Design. Having taken a lot of serious academic courses throughout my high school career hasn’t allowed much time for me to explore different art and to be creative. Being in art is really important to me. I love creating, and I love learning more about the artistic process and different mediums.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Something I strongly believe in is that we should all use our voices to advocate for social justice issues affecting our society now. With the recent historical and political climate, I try to stay engaged and updated on current events, and I love discussing social issues with friends and family.

Anything else?

• Glad to be back and a part of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee! This school year might be a hectic and uncertain time, but I’m confident that students and staff will push through!

Mary-Katherine Waide • Junior • Plano West Senior High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• I am part of National Charity League, which is a volunteering organization. I have been involved in the organization since seventh grade. I am a member of Business Professionals of America, and this is my first year being involved in that club. I have also been a part of National Honor Society since my freshman year.

Community service:

• I volunteer often with National Charity League, and my favorite philanthropy to volunteer with is Rainbow Days. I love this philanthropy because I get to work with young kids, and make them smile.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject this year is Business Information Management with Mrs. Mintcheva. In this class, we do a lot of fun things, and by the end of the year, I will be certified in Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Onenote.

Hobbies or other interests:

• I love to spend time with my friends and family. One of my favorite things to do is play tennis with my family. I also enjoy painting because it's very stress relieving.

Anything else?

• I'm very excited to be on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee this year! 

Alethia Williams • Junior • Plano Academy High School 

Extra curricular activities:

• At my church I help mentor children, and I dance, sing in the choir, play my instruments, volunteer for announcements, do public speaking and more. At school, I’m a member of culture keepers which is an organization a couple of classmates and I came up with to stop racism and insensitive behaviors at school. I’m also a member of the student council and enjoyed helping there, too.

Community service:

• I help a lot at my church. I love working with children. I’ve also done a community service project where I collected all kinds of denim and shipped it to Habitat for Humanity and they made insulation with it. For any service project, I really enjoy putting a smile on people’s faces.

Favorite subject or teacher:

• My favorite subject by far has to be science. I really like to see the background behind the way things actually work. However, I believe that if my school offered a psychology class I would absolutely love that subject.

Hobbies or other interests:

• Right now I’m a babysitter. I love working with little kids, so I decided that was the best job for me. When I get older and after I graduate college, I would like to become a forensic psychologist. One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is going on long walks and exploring nature. I also really enjoy painting, and I’m now painting art pieces for money.

Anything else?

• I’m super outgoing especially when I get to know people.