Contra Costa County Board of Education welcomes 2 students as board members

For the first time, two high school seniors were picked to be on the Contra Costa Board of Education to amplify the voices of students in the county.

Daphne Milich and Sophia Nguyen didn’t waste any time getting involved in Wednesday’s board meeting. Milich is a senior at Monte Vista High School in Danville. 

Milich’s goal is to be a voice for fellow students but especially the homeless youth in the county.

Milich said, “As an emancipated minor and a former homeless youth, I believe that I can have a perspective that may not be broadly shared by the community but it’s also a community that people sometimes assume that it doesn’t exist.”

Sophia Nguyen is an advocate for substance use prevention. She didn’t hesitate taking on this role, even though she juggles school, leads youth coalitions and work. 

Nguyen said, “I have always had to manage a lot on my plate. Managing a job to support my family and pay medical bills. It just comes with practice in time.”

Sophia and Daphne are the first students to ever serve on the Contra Costa County Board of Education. The board realized the need to bring in student voices to each and every meeting. 

Board president Consuelo Lara said, “They’re the ones at the schools and they can use their voice. And they are also in touch with their peers and so that was a very important piece of this.”

Nguyen added, “I think I can bring this new perspective. Not to say that board members are old but a youth perspective can be really refreshing.”

The county had a lot of qualified applicants, but they found two students who are committed to making an impact now and in the future.

Milich said, “I’ve known what I wanted to do for such a long time. Since I was 4, I wanted to be a lawyer and I kind of planned my life around that. It’s crazy at times but I wouldn’t do anything else.”

As students, they will be able to offer insights but will only have a preferential vote. That means they can say how they will vote on specific issues but it will not officially count.