Allison Dana (she/her) is a 2-year Student Board Member at Albany Unified School District and a top 6 state-wide candidate for the State Student Board Member position. She believes that students everywhere should be civically engaged and has encouraged discussion in her district through the adoption of a Student Advocacy Committee under the Board of Education which she and her partner student board member chair. At the forefront of educational development and technology development, she is constantly looking for new ways to utilize tech to bring students and admin together, and she aspires to be a leader and advocate STEM-figure when and after she pursues higher education. 

Risha Jain (she/her) is a junior from Monte Vista High School in Contra Costa County, California. She is the founder of the SRVUSD Student Senate, San Ramon Valley Unified School district's first student voice platform that serves to connect the student body with the district and together they solve problems and concerns for the betterment of the student body. Risha Jain is also a member of Tony Thurmond's California Youth Advisory  Council where she represents 7 million students across California and works to create legislation to improve conditions and collaborate with others to create change. She also loves to paint, spend time with her family and friends, but most importantly, Bubble, her dog. She is a firm supporter of equity initiatives, mental health recognition, and plans for deep learning. One of her favorite sayings is "you have two ears and one mouth for a reason." 

Esther Kim (she/her) is a junior at Chino Hills High school with a passion for creative ideas. Through a broad spectrum of initiatives such as representing 28,000 students on her district's Board of Education, serving on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Student Councils, spreading the beauty of her heritage by leading the Korean American Youth Performing Artists, and connecting school communities with Project Dear Students, Esther strives to develop original solutions for issues impacting modern-day youth. When she’s not working on one of her projects, Esther enjoys playing the electric guitar, listening to jazz music, and dabbling in anything new she can get her hands on.

Ella Mitchell (she/her) is a junior at Tesoro High School in the Capistrano Unified School District. Based in Orange County, California, she helped found Project Dear Students in hopes of building a bridge for students to become fully connected to their education. She currently serves as a Task Force Lead and the Social Media Lead for CUSD Against Racism, a student-led organization devoted to combating racism and amplifying BIPOC voices in Capistrano Unified School District. Highly involved in her school, she is a captain of the nationally recognized and renowned Tesoro Song/Dance Team, president of the THS Against Racism Outreach Club, National Honors Society cabinet member, and a representative of Tesoro High School’s Diversity Coalition. She was also a semi-finalist for the California State Board of Education’s Student Member position. In her free time, you can find Ella listening to music or calling her friends.

Sissi Zhang (she/her) is a junior at Irvington High School in Fremont, California. She helped found Project Dear Students in order to foster communication and connection between students and educators, especially to help mitigate the increased isolation many felt due to the pandemic. Sissi is incredibly passionate about educational advocacy, and she is currently serving as a student board representative for FUSD on SURFBoardE. She is also one of the three finalists currently being considered by the CA Governor’s office for the position of State Student Board Member. Alongside her work for the district, Sissi is the Vice President of her school's largest biomedical club, Synapsis, and service club, LEO. Sissi is also the Director of Communications for Irvington's Debate Club and is the publicity officer for SPTSA. Outside of school, Sissi also loves to draw and read fun facts about animals (ex. otters hold hands when they sleep ).