Jordan Miller
Jordan was a remarkable student-athlete at LCPS, graduating from Loudoun Valley High School in 2018, then attending George Mason University and the University of Miami, where he earned his degree. Jordan then became the first LCPS graduate to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Los Angeles Clippers. Jordan credits LCPS for his success, sharing how the teachers, coaches and administrators helped him learn and grow as a student, an athlete and a person. Jordan chose to emulate that experience by returning to Loudoun County every year to provide a free basketball clinic to the county’s youth. Both Jordan and his mother, Donna, talk about it takes a village to raise a child and that LCPS was part of that village.
Despite Jordan’s accomplishments and moving to California, he makes sure to return to LCPS every year and connect with local youth. He holds a basketball clinic every year that he puts on for free, eliminating barriers for all athletes. In 2024 he was asked to provide the key note address to the Loudoun Valley High School graduating class. As a nationally recognized professional athlete, Jordan has taken great care to represent himself and Loudoun County with integrity and maturity.
Jordan worked very hard as a student athlete. He graduated as the leading scorer in Loudoun Valley HS history and won the state championship in 2017. While he was a great athlete, he also worked very hard on academics. He credits his success to numerous teachers, including his high school Spanish teacher. He has paid it forward by returning to LCPS every year and working with young student athletes from around the county.
Jordan is a great example of a student-athlete who was highly successful in no small part to the teachers, coaches and administrators who supported and guided him in his journey. He credits his time at LCPS as a foundation to his success and returns every year to pay it forward to the next generation of student-athletes.
Saniya Yamin
Public school shaped who I am today by exposing me to one of the most diverse environments I could have grown up in. From kindergarten through high school, I have learned alongside students from different ethnicities, cultures, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and life experiences, including English language learners, refugee students, and first-generation Americans like myself. That daily exposure to different perspectives shaped the way I understand education and policy. It made equity feel personal because many of my earliest lessons about opportunity, access, and belonging came from the classmates I grew up with. Public school also taught me how to be resourceful and self-directed. As captain of my school’s Speech and Debate team, I often that other schools had access to private coaching, paid briefs, and outside resources. Instead of seeing that as a disadvantage, my public school experience taught me how to build from within: to mentor younger students, create practice structures, share free resources, and rely on teamwork and preparation. Our team has sent the most students from our area to national competition in recent years, which showed me that strong programs are built not only through resources, but through students and teachers who are willing to invest in each other.
Through LCPS, I was able to participate in programs like the Youth Advisory Council and Youth in Government Day. Being elected to represent 80,000 students to the Advisory Commission on Youth helped me understand how student voice can shape local policy and later led me to intern with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. These experiences helped me decide to study government and continue pursuing public service.
Public school gave me direct exposure to students who were navigating a new country, new language, and new school system at the same time. After seeing more refugee students enter our public schools, I worked through my Girl Scout troop to create a mentorship program for over 20 refugee students. We reached out to a refugee resettlement agency and helped students adjust to academic expectations, school culture, and social life.
Attending public school gave me a clearer understanding of what education access actually looks like for different students. I saw that college access is not equal simply because every student is technically allowed to register for the SAT or apply to college. Some students have private tutoring, reliable transportation, flexible family schedules, and parents who already understand the college process, while others are navigating the same system with far fewer supports. Being in public school gave me a more realistic sense of those differences because I learned alongside students from many socioeconomic backgrounds. That experience helped inspire my work on SAT School Day and Virginia HB410 because I understood that expanding access means paying attention to the practical barriers students face.
My story shows that public education can produce students who are not only academically successful, but also community-minded and ready to turn their experiences into impact. Public school gave me a broader understanding of the people and issues around me, and that perspective shaped my work in youth civic engagement, education policy, and community service. Public education was where I learned how to lead and how to build. Through Speech and Debate, Model United Nations, Rho Kappa, and other student organizations, I learned to organize teams, mentor younger students, create new programs, and make resources more accessible to others. Those experiences later shaped the work I did beyond school, from advocating for HB410 to co-founding PIVOT to working with local government. This story reflects the value of public education because it shows what students can do when they are surrounded by diverse perspectives, supportive educators, and real opportunities to lead. My public school experience did not just prepare me for my own future; it taught me to care about improving the communities around me.
Public school also taught me how to be resourceful and self-directed. As captain of my school’s Speech and Debate team, I often that other schools had access to private coaching, paid briefs, and outside resources. Instead of seeing that as a disadvantage, my public school experience taught me how to build from within: to mentor younger students, create practice structures, share free resources, and rely on teamwork and preparation. Our team has sent the most students from our area to national competition in recent years, which showed me that strong programs are built not only through resources, but through students and teachers who are willing to invest in each other.