Virginia Delegate David Reid presented Saniya Yamin, a senior at Broad Run High School, with a ceremonial framed copy of House Bill 410 signed by Governor Spanberger on Thursday, May 14. Ms. Yamin was presented with the honor after working with Delegate Reid's office to create and pass HB 410, which requires local school boards to participate in the SAT School Day program, allowing high school juniors and seniors to take the SAT during school hours.
Ms. Yamin recognized the difficulty for some students in accessing the SAT without the option to take it during regular school hours. She saw classmates balancing jobs, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, transportation challenges, and testing costs, all while trying to navigate a process that already felt overwhelming. It became clear that access to an exam that plays such a major role in college admissions should not depend so heavily on a student’s outside circumstances. She then reached out to Delegate Reid’s office and worked with them to pass HB 410. The bill passed the General Assembly with no amendments.
During the presentation, Delegate Reid said, “I always love to hear legislative ideas from students, families and teachers, because they are living with these issues.”
“Being involved in the legislative process was incredibly meaningful to me because it reinforced something I have believed for years, which is that young people are capable of creating real change when they speak up about issues that directly affect them,” Ms. Yamin said. “I think a lot of students feel disconnected from the government or assume their voices will not matter in those spaces, but this experience showed me the opposite. Having the opportunity to speak directly with legislators about an issue affecting students and then watching the bill successfully move through the General Assembly made the impact of advocacy feel very real.”
Also in attendance for the presentation were Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, April Chandler, Chair of the Loudoun County School Board, School Board member Ross Svenson, and Ms. Yamin’s parents. Ms. Yamin will be studying Government at Harvard University in the fall.