Jada Yang has stepped into the role of student representative for the LCUSD School Board, the panel announced at its Aug. 29 meeting.
The position gives La Cañada High School students the opportunity to see how the Board runs meetings and makes decisions on various topics.
Board Vice President Josh Epstein introduced Yang, an LCHS senior, who has been part of the district since she started elementary school at Paradise Canyon.
“Living with cerebral palsy, Jada is an advocate for disabled youth, and founded Mission for Mobility, a nonprofit organization empowering disabled students as they work to create awareness, build compassion and advocate for change to help students with mobility issues across the country,” said Epstein.
Yang said she is “extremely excited” for this position on the Board since she has a passion for public policy.
With her involvement in ASB, speech and debate, and peer support at LCHS, Yang said that this is a role she has been eyeing for a bit.
“I’m actually trying to pursue public policy in the future in school,” Yang told the Outlook Valley Sun. “So being able to join the school Board and seeing how policy decisions are made is something that’s extremely important to me, and I’m really glad to be a part of.”
Yang said she has a love for public service, and this will not be her first rodeo in the act.
Yang is part of the Los Angeles County Student Advisory Board and the FEMA Region 9 Youth Preparedness Council, where she brings her perspective to the table as a representative of LCHS, and creates emergency preparedness plans that are more equitable for everyone.
Her perspective is especially important since she has had cerebral palsy all her life. Yang’s passion and goal is to make sure that disabled people are represented everywhere.
“When I was born, I developed cerebral palsy,” said Yang. “So, I haven’t had a life without it. … Now I embrace my self-identity, and I’m really proud to be who I am.”
While growing up in LCF, she didn’t see a lot of representation of the disabled community.
“As someone who’s grown up in La Cañada for the past 17 years, representation of my community is important because there’s students like me out there who aren’t getting represented,” said Yang.
Yang maintains all of these extracurriculars and passions since it never feels like work for her, she said.
“I really enjoy learning more about my community and contributing to it,” she said. “And getting to know the staff members that really create our La Cañada community has been nothing but a transformative experience. It is a demanding role, but a lot of what I do is from my passions, and what I would love to do in the future.”
In 2021, Yang started her nonprofit, Mission for Mobility, to share her story and the experience of others.
“I realized that the disabled community is so much more than my own local area, and that it actually is a global community and is one that is one of the most diverse,” said Yang. “And because disabilities aren’t limited to one region, I decided to give students like me an opportunity to connect with the community I never had growing up.”
Now she looks forward to what experiences will come with her new position on the Board, which includes reviewing agenda packets and reporting on what is happening at each school site.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing about all the different diverse student groups at La Cañada,” said Yang. “I definitely also look forward to knowing how the Board runs things, because that’s something I never really knew about.”
As for the future, Yang doesn’t plan on stopping in her efforts.
“No matter where I end up, all I know is that I really want to bring my message to my future community, and ensure that not only my communities are heard, but to learn more in the classroom, of how to redefine diversity, and how to really take charge and learn from other experiences,” she said.
Yang’s parents are very proud of her and her growth in her passions.
“We’re incredibly proud of all of Jada’s efforts to represent student voices and raise awareness of the disabled community,” said Kaiser Yangk, her father. “Given her mobility challenges, she continues to face a lot of adversity, but has worked extremely hard create a support network to help other youths that share similar experiences.”
During the Aug. 29 meeting, Yang was sworn in and gave her first report, which included updates from all the district’s school sites and the events on the calendar.
“We are very lucky to have Jada and excited to have her join us this year and can’t wait to add her contributions to the meeting,” said Epstein.
“I am delighted to be this year’s student representative,” said Yang.
To learn more about Mission for Mobility, visit missionformobility.com.
First published in the September 7 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
