Voices without a vote Text by MAYA MUKHERJEE and WILLIAM RUMELHART
Students serve on Representative Anna Eshoo’s Student Advisory Board
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ealthcare inequality. Maternal mortality. Prison reform. These are just some of the enduring, multifaceted issues the next generation of leaders is confronting on Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s Student Advisory Board. Several Palo Alto High School students serve on Eshoo’s board. Eshoo represents the 18th Congressional district, encompassing Palo Alto and much of the South Bay. The board was founded in 1993 and is intended “to give young people a voice in our government,” according to Eshoo’s website. It consists of 180 high school students who research specific policy areas and present recommendations to Eshoo. The board meets twice a month via Zoom and is split into committees that research specific topics. Although this session of the board is currently in the research stage, Eshoo has taken recommendations from students and presented them to the House of Representatives in the past, junior Ethan Boneh said. Boneh, chair of the board’s public health committee, said his committee is currently focusing on maternal health. “We started out addressing gender discrepancies in the healthcare system because our focus is overall public health,” Boneh said. “But then gradually narrowed that into maternal health because it’s an issue that we can probably have an impact in and it’s also a very serious issue in this country.” Chairing the public health committee has been one of the most meaningful parts of Boneh’s time Art: Xiaohan Li on the board.
16 April 2022
Caption: The student advisory board meets with Congresswoman Eshoo, Dec. 15, 2021. Photo: Ethan Boneh “I lead a team of 90 people, and so I had reform, also said serving on the board has to learn to network with people,” Boneh said. been an informative way to learn more about “But it’s also very rewarding because I get to how politics works. talk to each of the “You get to individual subcomlearn how her admittees and stratministration works, egize with them what kinds of about how they’re things she proposes, going to mesh with what gets passed,” the overall goal of Zajac said. the board.” U.S. GovernOverall, ment teacher CaitBoneh said lin Drewes said she seeing his finds students who w o r k are involved in polihave tics gain experience an imengaging with dif— ETHAN BONEH, junior ferent views. pact is the “I think it most rewarding aspect of serving [working in politics] makes students listen beton the board. ter and hear different perspectives and under“The fact that we can have peo- stand that those perspectives are valid, even if ple presenting unique and you don’t agree with them,” Drewes said. diverse perspectives for the Boneh said the board offers the opportucongresswoman to actually nity to participate in politics and engage in this pitch to Congress to po- type of discussion. tentially create a change is “You learn a lot, you know, you get to something very inspiring to have a real impact,” Boneh said. “And you get me,” Boneh said. to work with amazing people who are just as Junior Kieran Zajac, interested as you are in making real change who is researching prison and that’s something you can’t replace.”
“The fact that we can have people presenting unique and diverse perspectives for the congresswoman to actually pitch to Congress to potentially create a change is something very inspiring to me.”
