3 days ago
Urbana High graduate, special education advocate looks ahead to Harvard University
After two years of advocating for students living with disabilities in Frederick County Public Schools, a new graduate of Urbana High School is on his way to Harvard University.
Jake Kamnikar, 18, joined the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) during the 2023-24 school year.
The committee, while technically a part of the Frederick County Board of Education, is a mandated committee by the Maryland State Department of Education.
Committee members include faculty from the special education department at FCPS, community members, parents, other FCPS faculty members and students.
Kamnikar was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at 18 months old, which creates muscle tightness in his lower body as well as hand tremors.
He said in an interview that his first year on the committee was 'super interesting,' and that he had never been a part of something like that before.
Kamnikar added that while the committee has had student members in the past, 'the year I applied was the first time in a while that they had students back.'
'My cerebral palsy historically has been a hard thing for me to talk about,' he said. 'I wasn't really a big advocate in elementary and middle. Not many kids are. They're little. They're learning about themselves.'
Kamnikar's mom, Buffy Kamnikar, said she served on SECAC as a parent when Jake was in kindergarten.
'It was an awesome experience for me as a parent, and they weren't offering a student role at that time,' she said.
Buffy Kamnikar said she received an email about the committee accepting student members and showed it to her son.
Jake Kamnikar said his mom, dad and family members pushed him to use his voice to advocate for others.
'I know a lot of families are confused or overwhelmed at times with the process of special education, and every kid is different. Their needs vary widely, and a lot of kids aren't able to advocate for themselves,' he said. 'So, if I can make that process easier for students and their families, that's why I wanted to do it.'
Jake Kamnikar said his role in the committee was to see firsthand how school board policy affected students living with disabilities.
'My friends in special education programs — how are my general education peers interacting with those students?' he said. 'And what can we do to make improvements and make the school lives, the day-to-day lives, of our students easier?'
Jake Kamnikar said elementary and middle school students have a hard time discussing what makes their educational experience difficult.
He added that 'the desire is truly there' to help students, but case managers often have a heavy workload and another role within the school system, and sometimes struggle to dedicate enough individualized time working with special education students.
'If you can put a name and a friendly face to whoever you're talking to [about] your disability or your accommodation, that, I think, would go a long way,' he said. 'It would've gone a long way for me.'
Jamie Shopland, the chair of SECAC, said Individualized Education Plans are meant to best support students individually, 'and it's different for everyone.'
While on SECAC for his junior and senior year, Jake Kamnikar helped create the Student Voices Subcommittee and hosted a Q&A for students living with disabilities and their families.
Buffy Kamnikar said the event was nice, and that parents asked questions about special education resources and experiences in the school system.
She added that her son is 'probably the most dedicated, hardworking individual I've ever met in my life.'
'He always conducts himself in a way of, how can I be better so the other people around me can be better?' Buffy Kamnikar said. 'I couldn't be more proud.'
Shopland said the student perspective on the committee is 'extremely important' to understand how the school board's policies affect students daily.
'If you can understand where people are coming from, then you can connect with them on a different level and in a different way, and be more inclusive and really understand what it means to belong,' she said.
Jake Kamnikar said the committee is always looking to increase the number of student voices at the monthly meetings.
He added that he had a great time at Urbana High School, and that his favorite topic was economics.
Jake Kamnikar said he applied to four Ivy League universities — Yale, Brown, Cornell and Harvard.
He said he opened the decision responses from the schools in front of his family, and that after getting rejected from Yale and Cornell and waitlisted at Brown, he opened the Harvard decision and 'couldn't believe what I was reading.'
'It said, 'Jake, we'd love to have you,'' he said. 'I was in shock. I wasn't overly loud or anything — I was just staring at the screen. Mom and Dad were screaming.'
Jake Kamnikar said one piece of advice he has for students is to 'trust yourself.'
'The opinions of others are not end-all be-all,' he said. 'There's definitely opportunities for you to work on yourself and grow as a person, and the right people are going to notice you for that and not what they think defines you.'
