by Jung Byun for Fairfax County School Board, Providence District
Earlier this year, I officially began one of the of the most exciting and rewarding journeys of my life: running for Fairfax County School Board in the Providence District. Given that I never saw another female Asian-American millennial with a STEM background pursue this, I never thought to run for office. However, with the support of my community and my life’s work in promoting education and social equity, I decided running for office would help make the change I always wanted to see in our schools.
At a young age, I saw first-hand the harsh realities of inequity in education. I became passionate about ensuring access to high quality education for everyone. I had been one of the lucky ones who tested out of a high school with a graduation rate of 50% into one with a graduation rate of 99%. This was only possible with my strong support network of parents and teachers. This experience left me with a lot of unanswered questions about our school system. After diving deeper into education policy through my professional experiences, I became attuned to the challenges and barriers students face to get a high-quality, equitable education. Simultaneously, I took on every opportunity to build a strong support network for as many other people as possible. As a result, I’m here to serve Providence District as its first Asian-American woman on the Fairfax County School Board.
Being a school board member requires both a passion for education, and deep knowledge in education policies and decision-making skills. Over the years, I shared many of my fresh ideas through my direct engagement with School Board members and on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee for FCPS. Moreover, my experience working for one of the largest government consulting firms deepened my understanding of education policy while simultaneously enhancing my data-driven decision making skills. During my time there, I went on a sabbatical as a fellow serving a school system, which happened to be ten times the size of Fairfax County Public Schools, to better grasp the intricacies of designing equitable education policies for every student. That said, as a school board member, I commit to applying my ability to understand different cultures, knowledge of education policy, and devotion to equity in my efforts to innovate Fairfax County Public Schools.
Join me as we innovate education together!
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