Howard Student Wins SMOB Election
Erin Smith '21 Social Media Manager
Zach Koung, a senior at Howard High School, is representing Howard County students as the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for the 2020-2021 school year. Koung has been interested in student government for a while; he served as Class President for Howard High School’s class of 2021 during his sophomore year and decided to run for SMOB during his junior year. Not only is Koung interested in school government, but he is genuinely interested in politics and wants to continue studying it after graduating high school.
When running for SMOB, Koung had to create a plan for what he wanted to accomplish if he won the election. He shares, “My intended goal is to be a fierce ally to students, fight for bold changes, and uplift the voices too often unheard.” These goals, in conjunction with his willingness to represent a variety of student voices, helped him to win the election. This year, Zach Koung has the task of representing student voices from all across the county, which is especially difficult because he is currently unable to speak to students in person about their ideas: Most of the connections he makes with students are through his SMOB accounts on Instagram and Twitter. Still, remote learning has not prevented Zach from speaking with members of the Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC). “The HCSAC is a great organization to hear from and update students on the Board’s activities. Almost every middle and high school in the county has representation in the HCSAC,” said Koung in an interview. Utilizing the aforementioned methods, Koung has been able to listen to student input and incorporate their ideas into his proposals at the Howard County Board of Education meetings. |