In a conversation with Siasat after winning School Board Elections
The field of education is so widened that anybody who has some natural potential to prove his/her mettle, be it an Indian or a foreigner or a foreign national of Indian origin, can go places
This is so happened with a young American Indian who has created a history of sorts after winning the primaries in a school board election in the state of Maryland. Raheela Ahmed, 18 finished first in the Prince George county (Maryland) board of Education election, while the incumbent school board chairperson Jeana Jacob was defeated. She received 25 percent of votes compared to Raheela’s 34 percent.
In an exclusive interview to Siasat, Raheela said that after the elections held in November last year; she has become the part of nine-member School Board which administers the 18th largest school system in the US with more than 120,000 students with an annual budget USD 1.6. Billion.
Rahela Ahmed is seen in conversation with Siasat Correspondent
She said that she covered almost 7000 houses in a door-to-door campaign in her neighborhoods. A young community activist and leader, she said that she graduated from The Science and Technology programme at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in 2011 and currently at the University of Maryland, College Park, studying Biology and business there.
When asked what kind of powers she would get after being elected, she replied that the elected candidate enjoys the power of deciding school budget and other affairs of the school. The budget is being approved by the government. However, sometimes, due to the limited budget, the school would give a cut to various other expenditures.
She also expressed her interest to visit popular and famed schools of Hyderabad.
She said that she is visiting Hyderabad after a very long time and was amazed to see the development being carried out in the city especially the Metro Train work is really amazing.
Raheela was also the target of discrimination post 9/11 but she wants to forget that phase. She said in matter of fact-ly manner that one’s religion, culture and gender is a private matter and one should not kept on exhibiting it all the time.
She had also visited Hongkong and China. She said that though she speaks Urdu whenever she has to talk to her grandparents but honestly, her spoken Urdu is weak.
She said in a message to the Indian girl students to always stay positive because this is one thing that could bring success to them in every field of life. She said with a smile that she is planning to visit Hyderabad’s famous and now historic Numaish before leaving to US on January 22.
Wajid_siasat@yahoo.in