Jasmin Reyes Contreras is a senior at Roosevelt High School and has been a part of our school student council since her sophomore year. She’s our student body president and you might recognize her from leading our assemblies. Jasmin recently was elected to the National Student Council as Oregon’s State Representative, the first person in Portland Public Schools history to hold this position. This is very exciting news for both Jasmin and the student council as well as the broader Roosevelt community.
For some context, The National Student Council or NSC is an organization that elects 25 state representatives from across the US and helps give them a voice at the national level. All students elected go to Washington DC in February to meet with senators, governors and other government officials and voice their opinions on policies and bills around education. I had the chance to interview Jasmin and learn more about her personal mission. Jasmin shared that her biggest goal with this new position is to give representation to urban schools like Roosevelt. She expressed her concern about the limited funding for schools and how lack of funds can restrict students’ education and potential.
When she goes to DC, Jasmin will have the pleasure of possibly meeting with our Oregon Senators, Ron Wieden and Jeff Merkley. She also hopes to meet with one of our congress representatives, Maxine Dexter. This is a huge opportunity to bring representation to schools like Roosevelt. Jasmin shared she hopes her hard work and dedication can help honor where she comes from but also help inspire the next generation of students of color to pursue positions in leadership. Jasmin wants to use her own personal experience to bring light to issues that have been previously left alone. She also wants to be a voice for students that are low income or in need. This has the potential to have real positive effects on Oregon schools and students potentially influencing policies having a positive impact on our schools.
