Leul Dawit, a 10th grade student at Northwood High School, has been elected as the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for the 2026-2027 school year. Dawit’s term begins on July 1, 2026.

All secondary students were eligible to vote in the SMOB election and 58,424 students cast ballots. Dawit received 64 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Reemey Ghermay, a junior at Walter Johnson High School, received 36 percent. The SMOB election was held on April 22, 2026, through an electronic ballot that all students received in their MCPS emails. Students were encouraged to vote through a class lesson.

Dawit serves as a Field Organization Deputy for MoCo for Change, a certified workshop presenter for the Maryland Association of Student Councils and Environmental Education Deputy for Eco MoCo. He also serves as a Student F.A.I.R. Student Leadership Coordinator and a historian for the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association.

The SMOB is a voting member of the Montgomery County Board of Education. The SMOB can vote on matters related to collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets, and school closings, reopenings and boundaries. The SMOB cannot vote on negative personnel actions. The SMOB is not paid, but does receive a $25,000 college scholarship, Student Service Learning hours and one honors-level social studies credit.

Dawit will succeed Anuva Maloo, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, who will graduate in June. He will be the 49th Student Member of the Board.