Waukegan High School sophomore Victor Hinojosa has been selected to serve on the Illinois State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council (SAC) for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Victor is one of just 25 students statewide chosen for the Student Advisory Council. According to ISBE, Council members are young leaders from across the state who have demonstrated the ability to advocate for educational equity on behalf of all Illinois public school students.

As a SAC member, Victor is looking forward to working with peers across Illinois to lend a student perspective on policy. “Student voice in the halls of educational policy is integral to making an amazing and inclusive educational space for every student in the State of Illinois,” Victor said.

Victor has been a student in Waukegan Schools since kindergarten, having previously attended John Lewis Middle School, Lyon, McCall and Hyde Park elementaries. In 2020-2021 he served as the student representative on the Lewis Middle School renaming committee. 

ISBE’s advisory council was formed in 1975. Each year students on the council identify areas of focus and collaborate with legislators, educational leaders, and ISBE staff to provide  recommendations on how to rethink and enhance current education initiatives. That work is something Victor is looking forward to. 

“I hope to bring lasting material change to the educational system of Illinois, to push for a more progressive, inclusive, and diverse environment for our students to become the next compassionate, independent, and intellectual leaders of America and the world,” Victor said.