ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — For the past year, one Glen Burnie High School student has been making a huge impact throughout Anne Arundel County schools as the student board member, one of only eight in the state of Maryland with the power to actually vote.
Glen Burnie student Brayden Morgan ends year as Anne Arundel County's voting school board member
Last week Brayden Morgan had his final school board meeting as the student board member for Anne Arundel County.
A seat he says he cherishes because the position is not just for show.
“I am proud of the work we have done, and I’m excited to see my successor and successors continue it,” Morgan says.
In 1975, the student member of the board in Anne Arundel County received the ability to vote thanks to a bill signed into law by Governor Marvin Mandel.
This made Anne Arundel County the first in the nation to grant that authority.
Now, over 50 years later, that seat has consistently been filled with driven students who get to make tangible differences not only for their school but also for all schools in the county.
Morgan, who says he once struggled in school, never imagined he would be that student representative, but he says it's an experience he wouldn’t trade for the world. In fact, he wants more counties in Maryland to have that same right.
“I believe that our local education agencies are very diverse and have unique needs; however, one thing that should unite every one of our local education agencies, all 24 of them, is a full voting board of education member who happens to be a student, that does not happen immediately, but in the next 10 to 15 years that could be a reality,” says Morgan.
During his tenure, Morgan never missed an event, from graduations to after-school sporting events, and he says it only made him a stronger voice for his fellow students.
“Knowing my why and doing it for the students made it a whole lot easier to get the behind-the-scenes work done,” Morgan says.
Work like voting on redistricting, bringing back class ranking, and even expanding access and connections between countywide student groups.
He says the thing that sticks with him the most as he ends his term is the connections he has made with the board.
“Those connections and lessons they have taught me are extremely valuable, and it's probably one of the biggest pieces of being a student member of the board that not many people realize are those connections that I have with Dr. Bidell, you know, my colleagues on the board, and I’ve been able to learn a lot from them, and I am excited to keep those connections for my own growth and for continuing to advocate down the line,” Morgan says.
Now Morgan is heading to college in the fall, attending Loyola University.
“You know, Loyola University just felt like home; I had an amazing tour there, I learned more about their programs and that campus feel, and honestly, I remember leaving campus from my tour and calling my mom on the way home and saying this is where I am going to go to school,” Morgan says.
He is studying political science and says he may even get involved in school government as well.
Morgan says even beyond college his candidacy may not be the last time you see his name on a ballot.
