After helping develop an ethnic studies curriculum through an MSU initiative, Sennen Querijero will now advise Michigan education leaders on policy and student experience.
Sennen Querijero has long been interested not just in what students learn, but in who decides what gets taught in the first place.
Now the Community High School junior will help shape those conversations herself as Ann Arbor Public Schools’ representative on the Michigan Department of Education Youth Advisory Council. This student-led group advises state educators on youth perspectives on programs, policies, and school experiences. State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko sponsors it, with the intention of amplifying student voices.
Much of Sennen’s path to the council grew out of a project she joined through Michigan State University: Asian American Youth as Storytellers and Educators, an initiative focused on developing ethnic studies curriculum centered on Asian American voices. The work was tied to pending state legislation encouraging schools to incorporate broader and more diverse perspectives into classroom instruction.
For Sennen, the experience offered more than academic research. It became a firsthand look at how curriculum is created, debated, and implemented within Michigan’s education system.
“I’ve always been interested in how curriculum is constructed and applied,” said Sennen, who is 17. “I felt like this would give me a say in the school system that I participate in every day.”
As a council member, she will attend monthly meetings with Dr. Maleyko and other Michigan Department of Education leaders, providing feedback on both existing and emerging initiatives. Members are also expected to take active roles in discussions and collaborative workgroups.
Pamela Pugh, president of the Michigan State Board of Education, had previously worked with Sennen and included her in interviews during the state superintendent search process. Pugh later encouraged her to apply for the advisory council, while the formal nomination came from Community High teacher and forum leader Rebecca Brent.
“Becky’s just a fantastic person,” says Sennen. “She’s always made me feel so welcomed in forum, even though I’m more introverted. And I’ve had some of her classes, and she was such a good teacher. I feel like I learned so much in her classes that I was able to apply to the real world and not just in a classroom setting.”
Brent, who has worked with Sennen for the past three years, described her as a student whose intellectual ambition is matched by humility and creativity.
“She is academically driven, consistently seeking out challenging courses while also nurturing her creativity through painting, poetry, and drawing,” Brent said. “Deeply rooted in her culture, Sennen is thoughtfully developing her voice as a young adult. Above all, she leads with kindness, humility, and subtle strength.”
Brent said supporting Sennen’s nomination felt natural given the way she engages both academically and personally within the school community.
Meanwhile, Sennen is already thinking about the broader impact she hopes to make.
“I hope I’ll be able to impact the education system in Michigan in ways that help my peers,” she said, “and make schools across Michigan a better place for all of us.”
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