FAIRMONT W.Va. – Jamyson Posey, a rising junior at Fairmont Senior High School, is among 10 students nationwide to be elected to the National Student Council (NSC), serving as the first representative from West Virginia.
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Posey will serve as the vice president of communications for the council, working with his peers from across the nation to advocate for student voices within federal policy.
“We’re there to be a voice for the students all across the nation, all the councils that are under this organization. It’s a way to get student’s voices out there that want to be heard,” he said during an appearance on MetroNews “Talkline.”
The council elects six high school students and four middle school students as officers each year, as well as appointing 25 state representatives for a one-year term, according to their website.
Tyler Dashner, managing director of growth strategies at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), said the NSC was created in order to insert student voices into conversations regarding education policy.
“That’s what democracy is all about: making sure we have voices in the room and that folks are represented in these conversations that have a dramatic impact on these kids, their schools and principals, their teachers, etcetera,” he said.
Posey is familiar with advocating for his peers as he has served on his school’s student council since middle school and, aside from his national role, now serves as the vice president of the student body at Fairmont Senior.
He said many friendships and opportunities have stemmed from his roles in student leadership, and he looks forward to leading on the national stage as the vice president of communications. Within this role, Posey will head up marketing efforts for the council, and he said he hopes to create a positive online presence in order to hear opinions from the most students.
In addition to individual roles, Dasher said those elected to the council will be given policy briefs each month, showing how national conversations are impacting them on a local level and allowing them to advocate for their fellow students based on that knowledge.
He said those students who serve on the council are an inspiration to him as a leader.
“Working with these kids is transformative because you see these kids who have incredible ideas. They’re deeply committed to service and put service above self,” he said.
Although the council’s main project is to plan the National Student Council Conference, which will be hosted in January 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, Posey said he also plans to spearhead several service projects.
“Service projects are always a huge thing. We do a lot of service projects at Fairmont Senior High School to help our community, and then at the national level, you also do service projects to help your community as a nation,” he said.
Ultimately, Posey said he aims to represent the state of West Virginia well.
“I’m excited to show the country and maybe even the world that leaders from West Virginia can do a lot more than maybe what they expect,” he said.
Story by Savannah Jones.