Student Advisory Council
The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC) is a strong and diverse group comprised of 12 high school students from across the state’s eight education regions, with eight juniors and four seniors.
The two-year appointment to the SSAC provides student advisors the opportunity to meet twice per month to discuss education issues affecting students, advocate on behalf of their peers and ultimately advise decision makers in state public education.
During their service, student advisors will develop two proposals for the state Superintendent’s Office and the State Board of Education to address issues that the students would like to see changed, either through policy or legislation. SSAC advisors have the opportunity not only to share their perspectives as current students but also to provide invaluable insight to state leaders on how to make positive changes within North Carolina’s education system.
2022-2023 SSAC Junior Members
- Bridget Hapgood (Region 1 -- Northeast)
- Brinkley Jadyn Hodshon (Region 7 -- Northwest)
- Chloe Hammonds (Region 4 -- Sandhills)
- Ellie Reynolds (Region 5 -- Piedmont-Triad)
- Emily Harwood (Region 8 -- Western)
- McKenzie Olivia Harrison (Region 6 -- Southwest)
- Yadvi Handa (Region 3 -- North Central)
- Lucy Dimock (Region 2 -- Southeast)
2022-2023 SSAC Senior Members
- Amy Brooks, Southwest Region
- William Dunlap, North Central Region
- Guillermo Estrada, Southeast Region
- Carson Gainous, Southeast Region
- Ella Joyner, Southwest Region
- Kelsey McCormick, Southeast Region
- Mia Shanely, Northwest Region
- Reagan Williford, North Central Region
Call for Applicants
Calling all juniors in high school! Apply today to serve as a Student Advisor on Superintendent Catherine Truitt's Student Advisory Council. If you are interested in state education issues, advocating on behalf of your fellow peers, and serving as an advisor to decision-makers in K-12 education, this application is for you! The advisory members meet monthly and serve a two-year term that concludes at the end of your senior year of high school. Throughout the appointment, advisors will hear from experts at the Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the Governor's Office, among others, to learn about issues facing our state and what can be done to support students, teachers and our local school districts and charter schools. At the conclusion of each year, the advisors will present a proposal to address an evolving state education issue to the Superintendent among other state leaders. Whether you attend a charter school, laboratory school, residential school, traditional public school, magnet school, year-round school...this opportunity is for you!