SVHS student voices to school district administrators – Sonoma Sun

Published on July 6, 2024 by Sonoma Sun

Victoria Hernández Padilla, Sonoma Valley High School’s graduating class of 2024, read an open letter to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District trustees at their June 6 meeting. Hernández Padilla was elected the 2023-24 Sonoma High Student Voice, a dual role as president of the Associated Student Body and student member of the Board of Trustees. In her letter, she claims that students feel that their voices, although often asked for in surveys, are not respected and heard and do not effectively help influence district decisions. (See the full text of the letter below.)

Hernández Padilla is a first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in El Verano. Her parents immigrated to the United States with no education and minimal opportunities. As a result, she explains, she understood early on the importance of using all resources to empower marginalized communities as a whole. Speaking of her own experiences with inequality in her community, Hernández Padilla says, “I was determined to understand and address social and systemic issues by working with marginalized communities to transform inequalities into opportunities.”

The Sonoma High School graduate will attend UC Berkeley in the fall, where she plans to study global studies in hopes of “continuing to pursue my interest in culture, government, public policy and intersectionality.” Of the 124,000 applicants who entered Berkeley this year, she was one of 150 to receive the prestigious Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship, which is a full-tuition scholarship. This summer, she will intern in Congressman Mike Thompson’s office.

Vicky, as she is known, was the 2023 Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year for Sonoma and Northern California. During the pandemic, she founded her own local initiative, GENup Sonoma/Diversify Our Narrative SVUSD, which donated a small collection of carefully selected book titles to each public elementary school in the district. The books were chosen to illustrate, not preach, diversity — ethnic, cultural, gender, socioeconomic. She also founded three clubs at SVHS, was co-captain of the SVHS dance team and violin ambassador with the Valley Vibes Orchestra. She told the Sun that she recognizes that all of her successes are the result of working with her community. “I look forward to using my education to encourage and inspire others,” she said.

OPEN LETTER to the SONOMA VALLEY UNIFIED TRUSTEES

By Victoria Hernández Padilla

Recently I was reflecting on my experiences as a Student Voice.

I never thought I would run for this position, it just happened. I applied at the last minute and was elected because my peers trusted me to advocate for underrepresented communities at SVHS. During my time on this board, I learned a lot about myself and most importantly, I learned what it means to represent my peers at Sonoma Valley High.

As I reflect on this, I feel compelled to share the perspective of many students in this valley.

It’s no surprise when I say that other students in this position in years past may not have been as diligent as I have been in completing the tasks associated with Student Voice. I’ve researched why this is the case and have come to the conclusion that we don’t feel like our voices are truly heard on this platform. Students feel discouraged from even really getting involved. They feel like it’s not going to make any real difference.

Even though we sit at this table, often the focus is to highlight our accomplishments, but our actions fall short of what we really need. For years, students in this Valley have heard the term “Youth Truth” data, but the reality is that this data is not a true indicator of what students are feeling and thinking. Students don’t take surveys seriously because they feel like nothing is ever done with the data. Every time a new survey is sent out, students laugh and say they won’t waste their time filling it out, or many just fill out whatever, or worse, suppress their feelings for fear that the survey isn’t truly anonymous.

Furthermore, this reaction can be applied to any type of public relations work in the district. Students feel discouraged from sharing their true feelings because they feel like it will not change anything.

When I think about what I learned during my time as a Student Voice, several positive things come to mind. But I also think about how deeply rooted the Sonoma community’s distrust of this school district is.

We as students are wondering when will enough data be collected to finally start making real changes in this valley? When will enough voices be heard? When will enough opinions be shared? Students are aware that very few are completing the Youth Truth survey. From my perspective, I am sure that once the measures are visible to students, we will get more engagement. We will get more responses and start to build a community.

I’ve been sitting here for a whole year. Listen to me. Listen to us. Listen to the person who comes after me.

I feel like I’ve had a wonderful platform to say what I think SVHS and this district needs, and I’ve done everything I can with that position. But I feel like “student voices” are falling on deaf ears.

As a final message, I would like to urge this school district to finally make transparency, communication, and most importantly, action a priority and to finally begin to build trust with the students they serve.

Thank you very much.

Story of Anna Pier