New Saline Board Student Rep Is Well-Versed In The Issues

Aaron Mukerjee won’t need a glossary when he sits down at the table as the student representative at the next school board meeting. The 17-year-old , who just completed his junior year, is well-versed in many of the issues that come before the board.

Mukerjee regularly attends school board meetings. He recently participated in a community forum workshop on the difficult school budget and provided an insightful student perspective on how the budget woes are impacting the schools. Mukerjee also founded Students for Re-Investing in a Valuable Education, a group of students that meets every other week to talk about issues in their school.

Superintendent Scot Graden announced Mukerjee’s selection at the June 28 board meeting.

“He’s the leader of the STRIVE program and is the most involved in educational reform of perhaps any student I have seen in my time at Saline Area Schools,” Graden said. “He’s a natural fit.”

Trustee Lisa Slawson agreed.

“I worked with Aaron in the Saline Alive program several years ago. In Aaron, we have a student who is a leader the community. He’s an exemplary member of the class of 2012,” Slawson said.

Mukerjee takes over the position vacated by 2011 graduate, Eric Lytle, who is going to University of Michigan to study political science. Mukerjee plans to have the school board hear the voice of the students.

“I applied for the position on the board because I believe I can truly convey the voice of Saline students to the board. Through my experiences with STRIVE, I have been able to connect with quite a few students and listen to their concerns. I hope to give other board members a student perspective on education,” Mukerjee said. “I believe all of the members of the board want to do what's right for students, and so I am hopeful that they will consider the perspective of students as they continue to make tough decisions.”

Mukerjee said the decisions the board make are felt by students in the classroom. The recent budget cuts closed two of the AP classes Mukerjee was considering in his senior year. As a result he is taking the AP environmental science class online. He said that he and other students will be affected by larger class sizes.

Mukerjee said he believes the board did everything it could to put students first when dealing with its deficit, but he wants to be sure students have a voice at the table when those decisions are made.

Mukerjee is the son of Brian Pearson and Smita Nagpal, and Aloke Mukerjee, plans to remain involved in STRIVE.

“For many of our executive members, it will be senior year. I am hopeful that this will create a sense of urgency in our group. I think this sense of urgency is going to be needed as we face a difficult year ahead for all Saline students,” he said. “I also hope that we will see some underclassmen step up this year. As the upperclassmen graduate, it is going to take some strong leadership on the part of our freshman and sophomores to keep the group going. I am confident that we are going to see these leaders emerge this year as we continue to grow both in our size, and hopefully, in our influence.”

Mukerjee is undecided on his college plans but is looking for a great political science program and is looking into a career in politics and constitutional law.

This summer, Mukerjee is participating on Boys’ State and interning in the Michigan Legislature.

One can read more about Mukerjee and STRIVE in this Saline Reporter article. Mukerjee also writes a .