Palm Springs Unified Student Board Members Reflect on Policy Seats Before Graduation

Every year, students at each Palm Springs Unified high school elect one of their own to serve as a student board member, giving them a seat at monthly district board meetings and a front-row view of how decisions affecting thousands of students actually get made.

This year, four seniors filled those seats: Sara Singh of Desert Hot Springs High School, Lesly Aguilar Hernandez of Cathedral City High School, Tracy Ted Inting of Palm Springs High School, and Olivia Aparicio of Rancho Mirage High School. As they head toward graduation, each says the experience shaped them in ways they did not expect.

For Singh, the role carried a weight that went beyond the boardroom. She says Desert Hot Springs High School has long dealt with a difficult public image, and says she felt the responsibility of improving that from day one.

"It was really an honor to represent my school because we do have such a bad image around it," Singh said. "For years and years, we have had that image, and it was just a really great opportunity for me to go and break that, and show that we are always advancing, and great kids come out of our school."

The experience also gave her a taste of professional life she was not expecting. Singh says showing up to board meetings in professional attire, learning how to carry herself in a room full of adults, and building her work ethic are things she plans to carry with her long after graduation.

"Definitely an experience of a lifetime, especially as a first job," she said. "It has been really fun attending the meetings, coming in professional attire, and talking to other people."

Singh plans to attend College of the Desert in the fall, where she will study journalism with the goal of becoming a news broadcaster.

Over at Cathedral City High School, Aguilar Hernandez said she ran for the position with a clear purpose: to bring a perspective to the table that she felt was often missing.

"I decided to be a student board member because I felt I wanted to have a little bit of representation for myself, being a minority and a woman," she said. "I wanted to put my voice out there and show them what I was capable of doing."

One moment stood out above the rest. When the board took up the topic of a student-led walkout, Aguilar Hernandez says she felt the full weight of what it meant to hold the seat she had been elected to fill.

"That was something I believed was super important, giving each student equal rights and their right to freedom of speech," she said. "Never back down from your beliefs. That is definitely something this taught me."

After graduation, Aguilar Hernandez plans to attend Cal State LA, where she will pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with hopes of one day specializing as a CRNA.

At Palm Springs High School, Tracy Ted Inting already considered himself a people person before taking on the role. But he says the job pushed his communication skills in ways he did not see coming.

"The big one I learned is how to project yourself, how to speak clearly, how to enunciate your words," Ted Inting said. "As I was presenting, I just practiced over and over how to communicate my thoughts."

He says meeting and connecting with such a wide range of people turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of the year.

"Being able to talk to a bunch of different people, meet so many new people, and see their perspective on life is just really cool for me," he said. "That was something I always enjoyed doing when I was making my presentations."

Ted Inting is committed to UC Irvine, where he will study business administration.

At Rancho Mirage High School, Aparicio says she came into the role wanting to do one thing above all else: make sure her school got the recognition it deserved.

"I wanted to make an impact on my school and represent Rancho Mirage High School in a way that was memorable," Aparicio said. "To uplift my school and give them the recognition they needed and deserved."

Looking back, she says the biggest lessons had less to do with district policy and more to do with how to work with people.

"I have learned so many things, collaboration, communication skills, and how to be patient with others," she said. "And if we disagree on something, it is always okay to come back and talk about why, and try to help other people see your point of view, but also see theirs."

Aparicio will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall, where she plans to study psychology.