The Young Democrats club hosted at-large school board member Ryan McElveen on Apr. 15 to discuss his leadership in the school system and his passion as a public servant.
Passing around a 2004 issue of the Rank & File, McElveen showed students that it is never too early to make change. The issue included a front page story where then-class president Ryan McElveen had created a petition to add bathroom stalls to the bathrooms, a problem which he viewed as an “extreme privacy issue.”
McElveen then fielded questions from the group, including several concerning the process that he went through to be elected and what he aims to accomplish next.
Although the event was hosted by the Young Democrats, McElveen refrained from getting too political.
“We decided to host him because he went to GCM which gives him a unique connection with the students here,” sophomore and Young Democrats co-president Eram Mallick said.
McElveen spoke about his experience as a Marshall alum, where he was class president, and graduated with an IB Diploma. From there he went on to discuss his work at the University of Virginia where he wrote a plan to internationalize the curriculum.
McElveen ran for school board in 2012 as a Democratically backed candidate, and is the youngest person to have ever been elected. He believes that this gives him a “unique perspective” on the school boards policy, as well as better communication skills with students.
“The Young Democrats is about promoting liberal viewpoints, but we also are focused on promoting leadership within this community,” Mallick said. “McElveen already is revered by students and we were hoping that we could help with inspiring students.”