Hafsa Hamdaoui, a junior at Crofton High School, has been elected by members of the Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils (CRASC) to be the 2024-2025 student member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education (SMOB).
The results were announced today on CRASC’s Instagram page, @CRASC_Online. Miguel Castañeda of Severna Park High School and Divine Kainessie of Glen Burnie High School were the other finalists for the position.
Hamdaoui’s name will be forwarded to Gov. Wes Moore, who must make the formal appointment. She would be the first SMOB ever from Crofton High School and would succeed current SMOB Eric Lin of Severna Park High School, whose one-year term expires on June 30.
“This is an incredible honor, and I am so humbled by the trust placed in me by my fellow students,” Hamdaoui said. “This has been a remarkable experience and working with Divine and Miguel has been such a privilege, and they are both wonderful student leaders. I cannot wait to collaborate with stakeholders and my fellow board members to create positive, lasting changes for our students.”
Hamdaoui said that during her one-year term, she would like to focus on equity and mental health throughout the county.
She has held a litany of student leadership and service roles. She ranks first at Crofton High School in the number of service-learning hours and is in the top 10 among all county students.
A member of the Maryland Civic Education Coalition’s Youth Advisory Council, Hamdaoui carries a 4.6 grade-point average at Crofton. She is a team captain and was a founding member of the school’s Mock Trial Team and also serves on the executive committee of the school’s International Night Club and has helped raise over $4,200 for international children’s causes. Hamdaoui is also vice president of Crofton’s Model UN club and a member of the Student Service Leadership team.
Upon appointment, Hamdaoui will become the 51st student member of the Board. Students have held a seat on the Board since 1974, when Andover High School’s Jeffrey Robinson served in an advisory capacity. Anne Arundel’s student member has had full voting rights since 1975 and is the only member of a local school board in the nation to have that status.
If appointed, Hamdaoui would assume her seat on July 1, 2024.