Ishan Shah was a former student of the college.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A former student of Ohlone College, a community college located in Fremont, California, is now the school’s first Indian American member of its Board of Trustees.
Ishan Shah was appointed to the seat vacated by Kevin Bristow, who resigned in March, and was sworn in by Chairman of the Board Garrett Yee on the evening of May 14. Shah will serve until the next election of board members, which is set to take place later this year, in November.
Shah was selected from a group of five “well-qualified” candidates, according to an Ohlone College press release. Shah was formerly a student of the college, giving him a unique perspective from others on the Board of Trustees alongside him. And, at just 21 years old, he’s extraordinarily young for such a position.
“When asked what he felt was the role of a Trustee, he responded that a Trustee is involved in direction setting, monitoring progress and making adjustments,” said the Ohlone College press release. “He emphasized that while board members are involved in establishing policy, the Board does not intervene with implementing policy and the running of the College.”
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Shah was forced to put his college career on hold last year, after one of his parents was stricken with cancer. Now that that parent has recovered, Shah has returned to the school, albeit in an administrative capacity. And although young, he already has a storied political career.
He ran for City Council at age 16, while a student at Mission San Jose High School, but lost. The following year, he mounted his first campaign for the Ohlone Board of Trustees, but lost that as well. Still, the fact that he mounted campaigns at all is noteworthy, and now, he has finally emerged victorious.
Currently, Shah is studying at the University of Southern California, pursuing a major in political science. During his time at USC, he was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the state’s Student Aid Commission. He has also held served as a Commissioner of Human Relations for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, where he “[advised] the board on matters including education, employment and public safety.”
“I’m very grateful to the Ohlone College Board for appointing me as the newest Trustee for the Ohlone Community College District,” Shah said on his Facebook page. “It’s been a long day.”