NASBE Honors Hawai‛i’s Mia Nishiguchi and Tennessee’s Britain Sapp with Distinguished Student Service Awards

Alexandria, Va.—The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to present the Distinguished Student Service Award to Mia Nishiguchi, former student member on the Hawai‛i State Board of Education, and Britain Sapp, former student member on the Tennessee State Board of Education. This award recognizes the dedication and education policy impact of student representatives on state boards.

Nishiguchi began her term on the board in August 2025, representing students across Hawai‛i with professionalism, thoughtfulness, and remarkable maturity. She engaged deeply with Hawai‛i’s Student Voice Alliance, an initiative that establishes sustainable pathways for student engagement, and served on NASBE’s Student Advisory Council as part of the High School Transformation State Network.

“What distinguishes Mia most is her ability to bridge policy and action. Whether drafting resolutions, leading statewide conferences, or engaging directly with legislators and agency leaders, she approaches every responsibility with humility, preparation, and an unwavering dedication to service,” said Roy Takumi, chair of the Hawai‛i state board.

Takumi also noted Nishiguchi’s leadership in elevating student voice, modeling how it can directly shape public education policy and strengthen trust between students and decision makers.

Beyond bringing a student perspective to board meetings, Nishiguchi has demonstrated statewide leadership through her service as Hawai‛i State Student Council executive officer and chair of the Hawaiʻi Youth Transportation Council. She has also worked as a Keiki Caucus legislative intern, helping draft HR81 to support Climate Week in Hawaiʻi schools.

Britain Sapp recently graduated from Bradley Central High School and served as a representative on Tennessee’s state board in 2025–26. Tennessee is one of only five states in the US where the student board member has a full vote, including on matters regarding funding and licensure disciplinary actions.

As a student board member, Sapp launched Student Member Connect, a network of all student members of local school boards across the state. The network gathered input on issues coming before the state board. Sapp developed, prepared, and facilitated a series of Student Member Connect meetings throughout the school year, covering topics such as world language requirements, AI in education, and proposed legislation to reduce the amount of testing in schools.

Ali Reid, chief of strategy of the Tennessee state board, said Sapp’s student initiatives have been pivotal for the board at key moments, most notably during the board’s discussion of its world language graduation requirement, when Sapp went above and beyond to gather input from students across the state.

“Britain set the standard for student members by the way she integrated students from across the state into the work of this board,” said Robert Eby, chair of the Tennessee state board. “She has set the bar for every student member who comes after her. We are very pleased to see her receive this recognition.”

“Mia and Britain represent the best of what happens when state boards make room for student voice at the table,” said NASBE President and CEO Paolo DeMaria. “From shaping policy on testing and world language requirements to raising awareness and building lasting structures for peer input, they didn’t just participate in governance—they strengthened it for the students who follow them. We are honored to recognize their leadership with this year’s Distinguished Student Service Award.”

The 2026 awards will be presented at NASBE’s Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, October 26–28.

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