Waipahu High School senior Maverick Yasuda was sworn in Thursday as the student representative on the state Board of Education for the 2022-2023 term.

After being administered the oath by Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald during a BOE meeting, Yasuda said in a speech to board members that he feels thankful for the chance to represent Hawaii’s students, “and I’m also grateful to have the opportunity to be able to interact with and, more importantly, learn from all of you.”

Yasuda comes with a track record in leadership: He is regional officer for the Phi Theta Kappa College Honor Society, representing members across Hawaii, Palau, Micronesia and American Samoa, and also serves as president of the Ivy League Club. In addition, he is recipient of the Mufi Hannemann Harvard Book Award and is the alternate delegate for the U.S. Senate Youth Program.

Hawaii law decrees that the state student council select a public high school student to serve on the education board. While the position is nonvoting, past student representatives often have been enthusiastic contributors to board discussions and key decisions, including the recent selection of the state superintendent.

Yasuda succeeds outgoing student representative Kyla Musso. Board members applauded the Radford High School graduate’s contributions and announced that an anonymous donor would provide her with a $2,500 scholarship as she seeks a degree in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.