Western senior Sarah Ishmael was appointed the new student trustee to Western’s Board of Trustees by Gov. Chris Gregoire in September 2009 and will serve on the board until June 30, 2010.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for reviewing and establishing issues of policy for the university as well as appointing the university president.

Ishmael will not be directly representing the students of Western, as student trustee. She will sit as a voting member of the board with the same responsibilities as the other seven trustees.    

These responsibilities include attending meetings and contributing to debates and decisions about issues in higher education.

Ishmael said she wants to be on the board because she wants  to gain experience in policy-making at a higher level than what she had experienced before as Associated Student legislative liaison and later as vice president of legislative and governmental affairs.

“I highly respect those who guide this institute and I desire to be a part of that team,” Ishmael said.

Ishmael said she would like to lend the perspectives she has gained from her experiences to contribute to making the best possible decisions for Western and its students.

Ishmael is a senior at Western’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, her concentration focusing on leadership, political studies and higher education policy. She is also a part of the Law, Diversity and Justice Program.

 Chair of the Board of Trustees Phil Sharpe said Ishmael’s past leadership experiences in legislature will benefit her greatly in her position of student trustee.

“She’s fiercely bright, a hard worker and very articulate,” Sharpe said.

While passion can only take Ishmael so far, Sharpe said she has other attributes that will make her successful as student trustee and for the future.

“She understands the process, she knows the players; it gives her a running start for being an effective advocate for Western in the state legislature,” Sharpe said.  
 

Why Ishmael became involved:

At a conference in Washington, D.C., Ishmael became dedicated to solving issues of higher education when she participated as a member of the United States Student Association, which works to create student leaders committed to social change.

During an emotional night at the conference, all the participants went around in a circle sharing their reasons for becoming involved in higher education.

“That was the moment that engaged my heart, that engaged me fully in the issues of higher education” Ishmael said.

Ishmael's parents came to America as immigrants from the Caribbean. Ishmael said higher education gave her parents the opportunity to be successful.

Her father earned a doctorate in instructional design and her mother obtained an associate degree and has since opened several successful businesses.

Ishmael said she is not sure what lies in her future. She said she would like to achieve at least a master’s degree in educational policy and is considering law school. Ishmael is also applying to Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate educational inequality by recruiting new college graduates as teachers for regions in need. 

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