NEWARK, N.J. – Zuri McCune, a senior at Science Park High School, is the Newark Board of Education student representative for the 2024-2025 school year. Zuri brings to the position a wealth of academic excellence, leadership, and a passion for serving her community.

“I am excited and honored to serve as the student representative to the Newark Board of Education,” said McCune. “This role will allow me to advocate for the needs and concerns of my fellow students, ensuring that we have the resources and support we need to succeed. I look forward to working closely with the Board to help make positive changes for our school district.”

The student representative role is valuable, serving as a liaison between the student body and the Board of Education. While Zuri’s appointment aligns with a state law signed in 2022, which mandates that every school district with a high school include a student representative on their Board, the Newark Public Schools has had a student representative sit on the Board for decades.  The representative serves a one-year term and provides Board members with valuable insight into the student experience.

An issue Zuri is focused on is the possible passage of a state law that would give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in their local school board elections.

“As a student representative to the Board, I wish to get all the information that we need,” she said.

“Zuri is an outstanding student who has already demonstrated tremendous leadership in the classroom and beyond it. Her dedication to academic excellence, community service, and student empowerment is truly inspiring. We are excited to have her represent Newark’s students,” Superintendent León said.

“We are proud to welcome Zuri as the new student representative,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “Her leadership qualities, commitment to academic and extracurricular activities, and dedication to her community make her an exceptional choice for this position. We look forward to collaborating with Zuri as she helps us ensure that the needs of Newark’s students are always at the forefront of our decision-making.”

Zuri’s impressive academic record includes over eight Advanced Placement courses throughout her junior and senior years and dual enrollment courses such as Introduction to Africana Studies at Rutgers University. She is a dedicated member of the Science Park High School Scientific Research Club, where she contributed to the team’s success as a state finalist in the Solve for Tomorrow competition. Additionally, Zuri is a student researcher under Dr. James Arnone at LeMoyne College, and her research analyzing genome data will be published in 2025 as part of the W.E.B. Du Bois Summer Institute at Princeton University.

Outside of the classroom, Zuri has shown leadership in various ways. She serves as the Special Events Coordinator and Dance Line Captain for the Legion of Boom Marching Band, and she co-founded the Science Park High School Black Student Union. Additionally, Zuri is a 2024 initiate of the National Honor Society and a Posse Scholarship Finalist, matched with Smith College. She plans to major in Biological Sciences and minor in Anthropology, to attend medical school to become a medical anthropologist.

Zuri is set to begin her term where she will offer student perspectives and serve as a voice for the student body in shaping decisions that affect Newark Public Schools.