Straight Talk

Adi Pick is the youngest candidate for the Vancouver school board, and she believes her age is going to be her major asset if she’s elected as education trustee.

“I’m 20 years old. I’m very active on social media. So I think if I were to get elected, then I think students will be very comfortable in, you know, tweeting me, messaging me, asking me to come to student-council meetings, because I’m somebody who’s roughly their age,” Pick told the Straight in a phone interview.

“I graduated from high school fairly recently; I understand some of their struggles,” Pick, now a UBC student of international relations, continued. “I think they just want to know that their ideas can be heard. So if we have a board [member], you know, who shows up to schools, talks to students, messages them, stuff like that, saying…‘what can we do to help? How would you like this implemented?’…then I think that would also be beneficial.”

Pick, who graduated from Magee secondary in 2014, is one of 19 candidates vying for the nine seats in contention in the October 14 school board by-election.

The independent candidate related that she was motivated to enter the race because she’s convinced that a youthful trustee will be able to engage students, especially those who are in need.

“We need to be asking our more vulnerable students, our less motivated students, our students at risk… ‘How can we boost your education? What do you need?’ ” Pick said.

Pick earned the endorsement of another candidate, Fraser Ballantyne, when the former trustee was reached for his comment on the young woman’s bid for school board.

According to Ballantyne, who is part of the five-person slate of the Non-partisan Association, Pick would bring a “breath of fresh air” to a new board.

The former Vancouver schoolteacher and administrator also said that Pick is a “success story about how good our system really is”.

“She’s, you know, at a young age jumping into the fray and is aware of the issues,” Ballantyne told the Straight by phone, “and I think that speaks volumes about how well the

teachers are preparing our kids for the real world.”

UBC international-relations student Adi Pick, 20, says she is running for school board because she thinks a young trustee willl be able to engage with students.