Athena Kan is outnumbered when taking part in her extracurricular activities — math team, debate team and chess.
"I'm a female student participating in a lot of male activities," the 14-year-old River Hill High School freshman said. "I've faced a lot of gender discrimination. Despite that, I have wonderful parents who encouraged me to be a leader, and I wanted to give back."
That drive led to an interest in women's' issues in the community and when a student position on the Howard County Commission for Women opened up, she jumped at the opportunity.
Three students are serving one-year terms on three commission boards in the county: Kan, Victor Crentsil, a Glenelg Country School senior who sits on the Human Rights Commission and Danielle Ellis, a Long Reach High School senior who is on the Recreation and Parks board. All were appointed to their positions by the county council Oct. 3.
Ellis found out about the Recreation and Parks position as a participant in Leadership U, a county organization for high school juniors that fosters leadership skills. Graduates of Leadership U can continue their work by serving on a board or commission, she said, and her top pick was the Recreation and Parks board.
"I found it interesting," the 17-year-old Columbia resident said. "I've always gone to the parks and I thought it'd be nice to go behind the scenes to see how they actually are run."
Students serving on panels is nothing new, county council administrator Stephen LeGendre said, as legislation providing for student representatives has existed for "a fairly long time."
The roles of student representatives are important ones to fill, County Council Chairman Calvin Ball said, as the county government commissions serve the entire community, not just a select demographic.
"Having a broad range of voices is vital to them accomplishing their mission," Ball said. "The boards and commissions really offer our young people opportunities to ensure that they have an excellent quality of life."
County students make their voices heard elsewhere as well, most notably on committees chartered by the Board of Education to draft and update policies, and on the various advisory and ad hoc committees in the school system. There are more than 30 such committees, said Patti Caplan, schools spokeswoman, and many have at least one student member.
"It's important to have those voices," Caplan said. "Especially when these policies, the curriculum, directly relates to students."
Sara Calvert, a senior at Centennial, has served as president of the Howard County Association of Student Council for two years. She also has served on three policy-making committees for the board, where she provided her perspective as a student.
"Some of it is giving context for the adults in the room, for them to understand what's going on in the schools," said Calvert, who has helped write the current policies on student representation, tobacco use and the dress code. "One time I had to explain what jeggings (leggings that look like jeans) were. That was interesting."
Caplan and Ball said when a student serves on a commission, there are three winners — the student, community and school system.
"These decisions impact students where they live and this shows students how things work and how they can impact how things work," Ball said. "They're learning how to be effective leaders for the future and empowers them to achieve their own goals."
It's done just that for student representatives like Kan, Ellis and Calvert.
"I've learned so much," Kan said. "This will prepare me for when I grow up, and even right now, when I have to speak to peers and teachers, I'm more confident."
For Ellis, her experience representing youth on the Recreation and Parks board is helpful for her future, even though she's not entirely sure what exactly that future holds.
"Working with nonprofits is interesting to me, so this is definitely helpful," she said. "I can see how things are run, and how organizations work together to produce something."
Calvert said her time on the school policy committee helped her understand not just government processes, but how she can influence those processes.
"I know how to make a change," she said. "I've learned about myself as a student leader, and I know that I can provide a valuable voice to conversation …if (political involvement) goes no further than this, it's still about being an informed citizen. The idea that one person can make a difference, that's not just government, that's your whole life."