Meet Your Student Board Members

Ava Dakash, a rising junior at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School, will be the next student member of the MNPS Board of Education.

Dakash was appointed after selection committee members reviewed more than 20 applications and interviewed rising juniors from across the district for the position. She will join Hannah Nguyen, a rising senior at John Overton High School, in representing MNPS’s more than 81,000 students in 2025-26 and will succeed Christine Tran, who graduated in May from James Lawson High School.

During her first two years of high school, Dakash has served as publicity manager for the National French Honor Society at MLK, led and participated in civic engagement projects through the Rhizome Civic Service Fellowship, and served as a Senate delegate at the Youth in Government Capitol Conference. She is also a member of the National Beta Club and enjoys crocheting and playing badminton in her free time.

"I believe every student deserves a voice in decisions that impact our lives,” she wrote in her application. “As my goal is to be an attorney, I love and know the importance of representation and advocacy of others."

Dakash attended Old Center Elementary School and Head Magnet Middle School before starting at MLK.

The Board of Education started appointing student members again in 2021-22. Student board members hold non-voting positions but can weigh in during Board discussions and debates. Dakash’s first meeting will be in August.

Board Member Cheryl Mayes led the selection committee, which interviewed seven finalists before selecting Dakash.

“While we were fortunate to have several outstanding student applicants, Ava stood out as the best candidate,” Mayes said. “Her leadership potential, thoughtful insights, and passion for serving her peers were all evident and inspiring.”

Hannah Nguyen Starts Second Year on MNPS Board

Hannah Nguyen, a rising senior at John Overton High School, is the other student board member. 

Before she was appointed in 2024, Nguyen had already been an award-winning delegate to Youth in Government and Model United Nations conferences; played varsity girls’ volleyball; coached boys’ volleyball while continuing to work to make it a TSSAA-sanctioned high school sport; served as an Overton academy ambassador; and participated in DECA, Beta Club, Debate, and the Interdisciplinary Science and Research program, a joint initiative between MNPS and Vanderbilt University.

"I am honored and elated to join the board as your junior Student Board Member,” Nguyen said when she was named to the position. “I look forward to bringing my unique perspective and making student voice not just heard but valued."