Chuen-Chin Bianca Chang and Kevin Bokoum are the two newest members of the Maryland State Board of Education.
Chang is replacing former board member Rose Li, who is now on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board Nominating Committee. Bokoum, a student at North Hagerstown High School in Washington County, is replacing former student member Jason Wu from Montgomery County Public Schools.
“Ms. Chang and Mr. Bokoum will be excellent additions to the Board,” board President Clarence Crawford said in a statement. “They each come with a unique set of experiences that make them prime advocates for students, teachers, staff, and stakeholders across the State. I know that they are true believers in the power of education, and I am excited to see their contributions to Maryland education policy and administration. I personally look forward to working with them, as well.”
Chang was a member of the Howard County Human Rights Commission and taught at the Chinese Language School of Columbia, according to a press release. She also advanced foreign language programs in the Howard County Public Schools System and promoted the Maryland State Seal of Biliteracy, an award given to a student who excels in English and one or more additional languages.
“I look forward to inspiring all and bringing out each individual’s potential and beyond with my passion and years of experiences in promoting world language education and human rights,” Chang said in a statement.
Bokoum had served as a student member on the Washington County Board of Education and was a liaison representing Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties on the executive board of the Maryland Association of Student Councils. He was also a member of the Maryland Center for School Safety Student Focus Group.
Bokoum called education “the great equalizer” and supports fine arts education, school infrastructure improvement and extracurricular funding, according to a press release.
Chang and Bokoum officially began their board positions on July 1, alongside Mohammed Choudhury, who also began his role as the new state superintendent. The next state board meeting is on July 27.
Elizabeth Shwe
Reporter
Elizabeth Shwe was a Report for America corps member at Maryland Matters through May 2022. She previously covered California state politics during an internship at The Sacramento Bee. She is a 2020 graduate of Princeton University with a degree in political science. At Princeton she was a producer for WPRB 103.3 FM News & Culture section, the station’s only long form podcast-type program. Shwe also wrote for The Daily Princetonian, and tutored with the Petey Greene Program, which offers free tutoring to incarcerated people.
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