Three Fort McMurray students are being named to the Education Minister’s Youth Advisory Council.

Seham Ahmed and Disen Kottage from Westwood Community High School as well as Fareedah Sadek from cole McTavish High School are among the 41 chosen across the province.

The council is tasked with providing input to the education ministry around education initiatives.

Ahmed, who’s now in her second year with the council, says the COVID-19 pandemic really drove her to seek another term.

“It changed my global outlook, and enabled me to work on ideas I tabled during the post-pandemic scenario to maintain the gradual learning with a lesser impact on my studies.”

Sadek is also in her second year with the council.

“I learned a lot about leadership and when and how it comes into play as well as so much about Alberta curriculum and schooling, which was really interesting. I’m hoping to take a deeper dive into all of these topics as well as learn from new members, my main takeaway always.”

As for Kottage, he joined to develop his leadership skills while also getting a chance to share his thoughts on the province’s education system.

“I want to learn about and share unique perspectives with students from across the province; by doing so, I aim to build valuable relationships and strengthen my social skills. Plus, I want to further understand how the provincial government works when it comes to education and contribute to helping improve our education system.”

The advisory council will meet three times during the 2020-21 school year.