East Grand Rapids — Taj Osborne is a community-minded student who wants to use his positive educational experience as a jumping-off point to improve the lives of students everywhere.
The East Grand Rapids High School junior is primed to do just that as part of the Michigan Department of Education’s Student Advisory Council, a statewide collective of students working to evaluate and improve issues such as health, safety, inclusion and diversity in Michigan classrooms.
“It’s just to try to make school better for every individual, and to make it feel more comfortable and more of a good time for kids,” said Taj.
‘I wanted to do it so I can be a voice for different people across the state.’
— East Grand Rapids High School junior Taj Osborne
He was nominated by school administrators “for showing leadership within the junior class,” said Superintendent Dr. Heidi Kattula.
Taj, who participates in Model UN and is also active in track and basketball, was up for it.
“I didn’t really know this was an option until it was recommended by the superintendent, but then I did a little bit of research and I was like, ‘This sounds pretty cool and interesting and I’d like to share my thoughts,’” he said. “I wanted to do it so I can be a voice for different people across the state.”
Sharing His Voice
He’s off to a strong start. Taj has already attended two meetings with the group, and he’s been assigned to a subcommittee that’s of particular interest to him — absenteeism, which is still a major concern for educators since rates spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“(The advisory council) kind of split into our own little groups, and my group focuses on attendance and absenteeism, how to keep kids in school and the reasons why kids are not in school as much as they (should be),” Taj said, “because there is a high percentage of kids that miss at least 10% of the school year.”
He said he’s already learned a great deal about the subject, like the fact that the causes are complex and vary based on area and demographics.
“At our school, the reasons for absences are way different than the reasons for absences in, like, a Detroit school,” he said. “So that was very eye-opening for me.”
He recalled a story brought up by someone on his committee about a school that was racking up absences due to concerns about safety.
Parents implemented a “walking school bus,” sending kids from house to house while a different parent watched from every block so students were never out of a parent’s eyeline.
Taj said not every community is close enough for such a thing to be feasible, and he’d like to play a role in helping schools find solutions that work for them.
He said he’d love to continue to serve on the advisory council as a senior, if he’s able. For now, his goal is to “help all kids from across Michigan have a safer, more fun environment in their school and school district for the whole year.”
“I feel like a lot of kids don’t want to say how they feel about school,” he said. “I want to be a leader and … make it better.”
Alex Schukow, principal of East Grand Rapids High School, said the administration is “deeply proud” of Taj.
“Through his participation on the MDE-SAC, Taj is demonstrating leadership and using his voice to influence decision making at the state level,” Schukow said. “We congratulate Taj for the accomplishment of serving on the MDE-SAC and recognize the significance of his role as a member of the council.”
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