Erin Meyer, Esq. General Counsel | Linkedin
The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) has appointed Michelle Xie from Oak Grove High School as the junior student representative for the 2025-26 school year. This announcement follows the transition of Crosby Parker, who served as the junior representative for 2024-25, to the senior student representative role.
Student representatives on the SBE are non-voting members who contribute to policy decisions impacting public schools in Mississippi. Each representative serves a two-year term, with juniors advancing to seniors after their first year.
Michelle Xie is actively involved in various extracurricular activities at Oak Grove High School. She leads as captain of the Speech and Debate Team, serves as secretary on Student Council, and is treasurer of the Beta Club. Additionally, she participates in the French Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta Club. Her advocacy work includes co-founding HerStemJourney to encourage girls' participation in STEM fields and running a YouTube channel called "Michelle’s STEM Journey." Michelle's community involvement extends to being Mississippi’s delegate to the YMCA Youth Advocate Program, participating in Hattiesburg Mayor’s Youth Council, authoring a novel titled "Skyborn," playing violin with Hattiesburg Youth Orchestra, and tutoring in STEM subjects.
In her application for the position, Michelle expressed her commitment: “I am interested in serving as a Student Representative of the Mississippi State Board of Education because I am passionate about creating equitable opportunities in education and advocating for programs that empower students to succeed,” she wrote. “I hope to amplify the voices of students from different backgrounds and bring their thoughts to the table. It would be my honor to be a part of the process that works to create a more positive educational experience for students.”
Price Denham, also from Oak Grove High School within Lamar County School District, has been named as an alternate junior representative. The alternate will step into the role if needed during Michelle's term.
This year's selection process included 30 eligible applicants for junior representative positions. Ten semifinalists have been invited to join the Mississippi Department of Education’s Student Advisory Council which collaborates with state education officials on policies and opportunities.
Since adopting its student advisory program policy in 2018, approximately 15 state boards across various states have implemented similar initiatives successfully.
For more information about this announcement or other news releases from MDE, visit mdek12.org/news.
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