Dalya Paka seeks to be an advocate for students. She listens to individual concerns, is involved in a variety of school organizations, creates opportunities for students to express opinions, and helps connect students to elected government leaders.
When Dalya realized that many other schools had a Student Council but hers did not, she and her classmate, Wehbe El Hadj Sidi, created one at Justice High School. The Student Council serves as a forum for students to express opinions, concerns, and suggestions to the school administration. The Justice High School Student Council will accept anonymous Google Forms submissions so that every student can voice opinions and make suggestions relevant to the community. While not associated with the Student Government Association (SGA), the Student Council accepts input from SGA. Dalya hopes that the Student Council will eventually expand to include faculty and staff, so that everyone in the Justice community has the same method for sharing opinions.
Both Dalya and Wehbe are members of SEALS (Student Equity Ambassador Leaders). Dalya is a member of the SEALS Outreach Committee, which seeks to connect with the Fairfax County Government by adding additional student representatives to attend school board meetings and provide student input.
Dalya explains, “Decisions that affect students should be made after hearing from students about their needs and desires. The current student representatives do incredible work, but there are only a few of them, so they are overworked and spread too thin.”
Dalya also serves the students at Justice High School as a class representative. Through this role, she receives direct feedback about school activities from students, and she uses this information to make positive changes within SGA on behalf of students. For example, they consider suggestions for fundraisers and various other school programs, so that they are designed in a way that best serves the students.
Dalya is concerned about equality and fair treatment of others, and she seeks to empower her peers. She says, “Peace isn’t about sitting on the sideline. It is about getting involved and spreading joy.”