Pleasant Hill, Calif. — The Contra Costa County Board of Education (CCCBOE) has appointed Sanvi Panda and Keerthi Eraniyan as student board members for the 2025–26 school year. Both students are rising juniors and were selected from a competitive pool of 54 applicants representing 18 schools across nine school districts in Contra Costa County.
Eraniyan is a student at California High School in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Panda attends College Park High School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sanvi and Keerthi to the Board,” Contra Costa County Board of Education President Annette Lewis said. “Their voices will bring valuable insight and help ensure that student perspectives are reflected in our decisions.”
As student members of the CCCBOE, Panda and Eraniyan will actively participate in meetings, offer insights on issues affecting students, and collaborate with other members. They have a preferential vote, which means they may formally express their preference on a motion before a vote by the board. Preferential votes do not count in the final numerical outcome of a motion.
Their first meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Panda is Associated Student Body (ASB) Treasurer at College Park, a member of the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) CourAGE Youth Health Coalition, and is a High School Ambassador for the American Association of University Women, where she has helped with programs encouraging middle school girls to study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects.
“I am beyond excited to represent the high schoolers across Contra Costa County as their student board member,” Panda said. “I hope to use my position to amplify student voices. I want to be a safe place for students to voice their opinions and concerns. This county has thousands of people with thousands of unique perspectives. I hope to bring these unique perspectives to board decisions. To me, this position isn’t just about having a seat at the table—it’s about making space for everyone who hasn’t always been invited to pull up a chair.”
Eraniyan is a student journalist, participating in the Contra Costa Youth Journalism project where she has written a number of articles including stories about youth voter interest and a speech by Martin Luther King III. She has also served as a Teen Council Ambassador for the City of San Ramon.
“As a high school student, I feel that the voices of our community’s youth deserve to be heard when it comes to educational policies,” Eraniyan said. “As a board member, I want to help amplify youth perspectives, challenge inequities in our society, and build platforms for meaningful dialogue, ultimately improving student life in our schools.”
About Contra Costa County Office of Education
One of 58 counties in California, Contra Costa County has the 11th largest public-school student population in the state (approximately 169,394 students). Officially established in 1932, CCCOE has a long history of providing direct services to some of our county’s most vulnerable students, including young people who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care, as well as students who have severe physical or emotional challenges.
CCCOE also provides support services to schools and school districts in Contra Costa County; services that can be handled most effectively and economically on a regional basis rather than by each of the county’s 287 schools or 18 school districts. These services range from budget approval and fiscal support to technology infrastructure, communication support, and high-level professional development opportunities for educators. CCCOE maintains a website at www.cocoschools.org.