By: Emily Gorny
As a four year member of Howard High School’s Student Government Association (SGA) and president of the class of 2020, Megan Nkamwa is one of Howard’s most ambitious students. She has contributed and revolutionized Howard High School events as an advocate and strong voice for her peers. With her growing role in student government, Megan’s voice has become more powerful. She describes this transition saying, “Being a part of SGA definitely helped me gain a lot of confidence in what I say. In middle school I was always loud but now I can funnel this voice and my ideas in an efficient way as an involved high schooler.” This efficiency is evident in her lengthy list of contributions to improving Howard, based off the beliefs and complaints of the students she represents. “Students had an issue with the dress code, so I worked at the Howard County Association of Student Council (HCASC) meetings to ensure it was reformed. Students were concerned with diversity and racism in schools, so I became the Student Member of the county diversity and inclusion board. Students wanted to protest gun violence in schools, so I organized a school-sponsored walkout.” While Megan’s activism and voice for her students often occurs without students’ knowledge, the impact of her actions is undoubtedly felt by all members of the Howard High School community.
Megan hopes to continue using her voice for advocacy purposes in the future as a lawyer: “I think being a part of SGA has definitely amplified [my interest in the law], just being in the public sector helping people speak out.” Her regard and care for the people she represents is evident in Megan’s attention to the needs of those in Howard’s community, and a career as a lawyer seems almost inevitable. Explaining her love for this role, Megan stated, “It really makes my day when people come up to me with advice or opinions for changes around Howard. Student voice is just so important, this is our school.”
Emily's Connection with the Story:
Originally approaching Megan, aware of our shared interest in law as members of Howard High School’s mock trial team, I quickly found that additional similarities existed in our roles as leaders in the Howard Community. Megan’s description of the joy in making improvements according to the suggestions of students resonated with me in my role as captain of Howard’s track and field and cross-country teams. I have found myself growing in the role as a representative and voice for my teammates to coaches and administrators as I become more accustomed to the sport, which similarly occurred to Megan. I envision that Megan and I will both be able to apply the public speaking and people skills we have learned in our respective leadership roles in future careers as lawyers.
