An incoming senior at Point Loma High School (PLHS) defied the statistical odds to achieve a lofty goal. Caitlin Snell has been appointed to the California Board of Education by Gov. Jerry Brown after she was selected from 8,000 applicants. She will be the only student member of the group and there is no compensation. Snell’s appointment as a voting member requires confirmation by the state Senate before she takes her seat with other members of the panel. “I would love to better education opportunities for all California schools, including Point Loma,” Snell said. “We deserve it.” Winning her seat hasn’t been easy. Snell first became aware of the opportunity in an email sent to PLHS students about college options. She scurried to complete her application, including three letters of reference and a resume, in two frantic days. After the original applicants were narrowed to 12, Snell was brought to Sacramento for a series of interviews, speech-giving opportunities and seminars on issues facing public education. The group of 12 was then narrowed to six before three finalists were named in January. Additional hurdles were cleared before her recent selection was announced. “You need to know about yourself and what you stand for,” Snell said in explaining the rigorous competition. To her credit, the incoming senior had plenty to include on her resume. Snell serves as the vice chairwoman for the San Diego Youth Commission and serves as president of the PLHS chapter of the national Student2Student Mentoring Program. She is a member of the California Scholarship Federation, the Urban League of San Diego County’s Golden Pyramid Scholars and Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership. On campus, Snell is active in Academic League, sports and joined with other students to produce the recent Loma Portal Elementary School Variety Show. Academically, she took three advanced placement classes and two honors classes during her junior year and will continue a challenging course load. Snell said she is excited about her impending confirmation and the opportunity to help set policies and improve educational opportunities statewide. After all, Snell will be speaking on behalf of millions of her peers.