Gabrielle Ryder is a senior at Washington County Technical High School in their Homeland Security program. She is the President of the Washington County Association of Student Councils, the secretary of her school’s SGA, and has been involved in student government for the past five years. Through school, Gabrielle is a member of the National Spanish Honor Society, Club UAS, Ruriteen (high school sub-section of the Ruritan), and archery, where she has competed at the state level three times and the national level twice. During her freshman year of high school, Gabrielle created STOP Stigma, which is a mental health awareness nonprofit in Washington County. After high school, she plans to double major in forensic psychology and cybersecurity. From there she aspires to work for a government agency such as the FBI.

Lauren Raskin is a junior at Poolesville High School and is a proud member of the Global Ecology magnet program. In addition to serving as Advocacy Coordinator for MASC, she is the County Affairs Deputy for MCR, the Leadership Representative of her school’s student council, and the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Maryland High School Democrats. Furthermore, she has started her own up and coming non-profit called Si Podemos, which is a coalition of students across the DMV region the champion for comprehensive immigration reform. In her free time, Lauren loves to read, write, and hike!

Ember is a senior at Urbana High school. As a speaker for the Lunch out of Landfills, she has advocated for composting in several states. Outside of school, she is a synchronized figure skater, actor, and nature camp counselor. In her free time she writes poetry and experiences nature!

Henry Meiser is a 10th grader at St. Mary’s Ryken High School. He has always enjoyed leadership and is currently the class of 2023 president. In addition, he is the founder and program director of the non-profit, The Southern Maryland Youth Leadership Scholarship (SMYLS). Outside of school, Henry ski races for the Liberty Mountain Race Team, sails competitively, and is an active member of his community. Henry loves to travel and play the piano in his free time.

Grace Herron is a student in Harford County and is serving as the MASC Mental Health Affairs Coordinator this year! Grace also serves as Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils President, a member on the Maryland Center for School Safety focus group and the Harford County Student Mental Health Council. Aside from SGA, Grace likes to sing with the Peabody Children’s Chorus, play the bass guitar and participate in tennis matches with her varsity team. She is very excited to serve the student body this year!

Trisha is a rising senior at Mount Hebron High School in Howard County. This is her second term as a Mental Health Affairs Coordinator with MASC and she is so excited to be able to serve again and spread awareness for mental health issues. Over the upcoming year, Trisha hopes to push several initiatives to decrease stigma surrounding mental illness, increase education about such illnesses, and promote resources to help combat these issues. Trisha continues her advocacy in her own county by being a member of the HOCO Sources of Strength program and the Health and Social Issues Coordinator for the Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC).

Outside of her passions for mental health and student council, Trisha spends her free time coaching Girls on the Run and volunteering for the American Red Cross. She also works on her non-profit Kits and Co and likes to spend time taking photos and hanging out with her friends and family.

Jayshree is a senior at Mount Hebron High School in Howard County. She is honored to once again serve as a MASC School Safety Liaison and as the sole student, voting representative on the Advisory Board to the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) Subcabinet! Through her efforts last year, she was able to spearhead the creation of the first-ever MCSS Student Focus Group which works to broaden student input in school safety issues. Additionally, she worked extensively to spread awareness of the Safe Schools MD Tipline (https://www.safeschoolsmd.org/about-mcss/contact-mcss/Tipline_Media).

This year, she looks forward to expanding these initiatives through collaboration with her lovely co-position, Claire Cabral, the MASC officers & executive directors, and the extremely supportive staff at the Maryland Center for School Safety 🙂

Outside of student council, Jayshree is passionate about cultivating her connection to her roots through training in Bharathanatyam & veena and pursuit of a seal of biliteracy for her native language, Tamil. She also enjoys continuing to develop her non-profit, Kits & Company, and volunteering with her community religious group, the Columbia Red Cross, and Cards for Courage. Post high school, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

She is beyond excited for this year!

Claire Cabral is a 9th grader at Hereford High School. She is an advocate for Hawaiian Monk Seals and enjoys leadership in every aspect! She has been an active member of the student council organization at her school since 6th grade and is excited to expand her leadership skills. Additionally, she enjoys competing in the Stock Market Game, participating in community service projects, and singing in her county’s choir. Outside of school, Claire plays club field hockey for H2O. She loves reading and writing in her free time! Claire is really excited to become an advocate for school safety and is ready for the year ahead.

Anusha Krishnan is from Montgomery County. She loves to spend her time doing musical theater and plays on her regional volleyball team. She loves to skateboard, edit videos, and spend time with her friends. Her favorite TV show is Greys Anatomy!

Sam Chernoff is a junior at McDonough High School who has a passion for student leadership and helping others. He has been involved in student government on the school level ever since sixth grade and currently serves as his Class Treasurer. He has also been on his county’s executive board by serving as Charity Coordinator. Outside of MASC, Sam enjoys being on McDonough’s stage crew, playing the clarinet, and participating in his Boy Scout Troop. In his free time, Sam enjoys spending time with his friends and finding new shows to watch on Netflix. Sam looks forward to helping student leaders throughout Maryland engage in community outreach this year as Service Coordinator!

Maja Durkovic is entering her sophomore year in Eastern Technical High School, where she is a student in the Law and Public Policy magnet program. She is involved in student council on the county level, serving as the Chief of Staff for Baltimore County Student Councils. She has also served on the Maryland Association of High School Democrats’ executive board. Along with student leadership, Maja has played bass clarinet for five years. She has played with county and state honor bands, as well as her school band.

Tolu is enrolled in the Biotechnology program at North Point High School. He loves to read and watch anime, and also enjoys debates about ethics and politics. He is a two-year member of his school’s Mock Trial team, as well as president of the class of 2022 at North Point. He is a first-generation American-born citizen in his family who hails from Nigeria and hopes to go to college to major in Business or Political Science on a pre-law track. He’s excited about what the year has in store for MASC!