Maimona Afzal Berta, 25

Growing up, Maimona Afzal Berta never saw someone like herself in leadership positions like school board. Now seeking re-election, she’s empowering her students to not just be the leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today.

Name: Maimona Afzal Berta
Running for: Franklin-McKinley Board of Education
Age: 25

What was the best piece of advice you received before running for office?

That's a difficult question because most of the advice I received was not supportive advice, quite frankly. It was more comments like, "Are you sure now is a good time? Do you really want to be doing this?" A lot of doubt and questioning. 

But then I did have some folks who said, "You're a leader already in the classroom and that translates really well to the work that you could be doing on the school board." Those bits of encouragement I did get acted like advice, by reaffirming that this was something that I should consider and should continue to pursue, especially as a young person. 

You're running for re-election. Looking back on your term, what is like the biggest lesson you feel like you've learned as a school board member that you're hoping to take into your next term?

Yeah, I feel like one of the biggest lessons is knowing that part of the work we're driving on the school board is not just drafting the policies, but really making sure that we have a vision for where we're going as a district. The learning piece that I feel like isn't necessarily discussed as much is the oversight to ensure that the initiatives that we bring forward through policy actually end up happening. Not getting into the operational sense of things since that’s the superintendent's role, but ensuring oversight to make sure that policies are actually put into action. We work hard to draft policy, gather community insight and involve stakeholders in the process, so we want to make meaningful progress moving forward and not just rubber stamping.  

You’re a leader in environmental policies and actions for your district. People typically think climate justice and environmental policy are large scale federal issues - from the Green New Deal to the Paris Accords. What does environmental policy look like at a school board level? 

There's a lot of opportunities that sometimes we don't think about a school district playing a role in. We oversee so many different things that allow learning to take place from feeding our students meals to our transportation. In all of these areas, we can make conscientious decisions that will impact our environment. For example, we can reduce our plastic usage by promoting the use of reusable water bottles and we have meatless Mondays at one of our middle schools now. Our role as educators is to educate and include these specific issues. Our students are leading now and they’re going to be leading in big ways in the future, so we need to ensure that they have these environmentally conscientious mindsets developed. From an operational standpoint, we have that responsibility of making sure that we are practicing environmentally friendly policies. And then from an educational standpoint, it’s about making sure that students are preparing this with the mindset and the knowledge necessary to be lifelong advocates. 

“Our students are leading now and they’re going to be leading in big ways in the future, so we need to ensure that they have these environmentally conscientious mindsets developed.”

Earlier this year, you put together an Earth Day resolution put together with input from your students and teachers. What first inspired you to include students and teachers in this process?

I think honestly, that's where being young is strength in terms of the perspective I can bring. I remember in high school, I actually started directly at the community college. So as a 13-year-old, I was constantly having people doubt my advocacy work or doubt whether I was actually committed to participating in student government and those leadership roles. People were not taking me seriously at first, and I think it has made me more conscientious when I see students and our youth really leading in big ways. I want to make sure that we are crafting these spaces that are inclusive for them, so that they can be the leaders that we know they are. 

I think it's a matter of amplifying the efforts that the students were already making, because the class that the resolution was developed with actually came and spoke at a board meeting. So I thought it was a beautiful opportunity to connect the dots and really elevate the issues that they were already speaking to and validate their efforts. It’s encouraging them and saying yes, at that young age you can have a significant impact.

“I think the biggest thing isn’t necessarily doubt, but just that people aren't used to seeing someone like me in a role like school board.”

You mentioned that you’re used to people doubting you for your age. What are the biggest doubts you have seen people have about you on the campaign trail and how do you overcome them? 

I don't think there's as much doubt now because we have a track record and we’ve been able to get things done with the community. I think the biggest thing isn’t necessarily doubt, but just that people aren't used to seeing someone like me in a role like school board. Growing up I honestly hadn't even conceptualized the idea of what a school board member was. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that there are these people on a school board that make the decisions for a school district and here's what that actually looks like and that there’s an election process. I feel like that was all relatively newer information for me. 

I think that previously it was more that people hadn't seen people like me in these roles. So even for myself, I hadn't seen myself, a Hijabi Muslim woman of color, in a role like this. It’s difficult to envision a future for yourself or envision what those people should look like when you've never seen someone like that in a position like school board. 

Do you think you have any advantages as a young candidate?

I don't know if it's an advantage, but I definitely think it's a different take and perspective, which is important to have when you're representing a body of individuals. Younger perspectives and experiences also matter in terms of the connection. I am able to connect with students in the district at a different level than perhaps other board members, and part of that is my experience as a teacher. But the other aspect is just being a little bit closer in age. Not tremendously close, but within a ballpark. Having a more recent experience of what it's like to be in school and working in a school setting myself, I feel like those areas play a role in my ability to build connections with students and credibility to speak on school related issues. 

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I think any young person can be a leader because innately, we each have our own sets of experiences and they each bring value in their own way.”

What does being a school board member look like during the time of COVID? What are the challenges that you have to tackle? 

This crisis is highlighting a lot of the existing inequities that have been around, such as the digital divide. These are not new issues, but because of the crisis, they have really been exacerbated. As a teacher, I can see the direct impact of not having that access to the internet at home. There’s so much of a gap that students must overcome when that's their main connection to learning opportunities and experiences. 

What advice would you give to another young Dem whose considering a run for office?

Fully believe that you have the experiences necessary to do the work. I think any young person can be a leader because innately, we each have our own sets of experiences and they each bring value in their own way. It’s incredibly important to think about your identity and your experiences that you would be able to bring. Then, articulate how you plan to bring authentic self into these spaces to take action on issues that you care about and impact your community.

The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.