The votes have finally all been counted, and I have been elected to the Mountain View Whisman School Board. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve this wonderful community. I could not have done this without the tireless effort of my supporters, so I’m going to start this first newsletter with a “Thank You” to all of you.

It was an illuminating experience hearing from so many diverse voices in our community. Through ice cream socials, candidate forums, meet & greets, individual meetings, phone calls, and door-knocking, I met so many people with interesting and exciting perspectives on the future of our district.

I remember how intimidating it felt my first day, being approached by and flagging down people at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, but I remember how valuable it was to hear directly from parents and the community about how they felt about our schools, what they love, and where we need to improve. Thank you all for taking the time and for your civic engagement!

The donations and volunteering for my campaign showed me just how deeply our community cares about our schools. As a small token of my appreciation, I want to honor it by personally donating the same amount I raised ($3423) to the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), in order to support some of the programs that make our schools great.

A Look Ahead

I’m going to use this newsletter as a way to communicate about events, issues, and policies in my personal capacity, and I want you to find it a useful resource for understanding what’s going on in the community from my personal perspective.

This week, I will be going to Anaheim to attend the California School Boards Association’s Annual Education Conference with the other board members, new and returning.

On the first day, I am looking forward to the Orientation for New Trustees, where we will learn in intense detail about the practicalities of the job you’ve entrusted us with. I am excited for this all day workshop, so we can hit the ground running as a new board after being sworn in.

For the following days, we will have a packed schedule of interesting sessions! We will probably divide-and-conquer in order to gain the most knowledge, but some look too good for any of us to individually pass up.

After the conference, I’ll take some time to digest the information, and to have a trip report and a recap of what I learned.

Upcoming Events

Here’s a brief calendar of some exciting upcoming events:

The City of Mountain View will have their annual Community Tree Lighting Celebration on Monday, December 9th from 5:30 to 8 PM.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition will be having their second annual Holiday Lights Bike Ride on Saturday, December 14th at 5:15 PM, starting at the Mountain View Transit Center. My family went on the inaugural ride, and it’s a lot of fun!

At the Board Meeting on Thursday, December 19th, the new board members will be sworn in! We don't have a time selected yet, but stay tuned.