October 14, 2025 – By Ian Chen. Part Four of the series “Shaping the Year Ahead” checking in with MCR SGA leaders for the 2025-2026 school year. See Part 1 on the directors in charge of legislative direction here, Part 2 here on training the next generation of leaders, and Part 3 here on connecting schools, students, and communities

The Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR SGA) has elected their leadership team for the 2025-2026 school year. From reinstituting school visits to translating content to a diverse range of languages, these officers hope to ensure every student can use their voice to shape their school experience.

President Hali Duong

President Hali Duong’s journey to MCR leadership began with a move that showed her the power of student advocacy. After moving from rural New York to Montgomery County, Duong says she discovered a stark difference in student engagement opportunities. “When I moved to Montgomery County, obviously the school system was very different. It’s not only more diverse, but there’s a lot more student involvement, both at a local level as well as at a state level,” Duong said. “I attended my first MCR meeting, and I knew immediately that that was somewhere and something that I wanted to pursue.” 

Her background includes three years on MCR’s executive board, serving as service deputy, workshops director and chief of staff of special projects before winning the presidency. She’s also worked with the Maryland Association of Student Councils as chief of staff and served on former SMOB Praneel Suvarna’s advisory council. Duong’s leadership strategy centers on taking “decisive action on pressing issues” rather than just holding meetings. “My top priority is to really ensure that we’re tackling pressing issues and that we are actively making a difference in those,” she said, specifically focusing on improving “school safety”—something she says encompasses mental health, infrastructure and student wellness alongside traditional safety concerns.

To make MCR more visible, Duong plans to reinstitute school visits that haven’t happened in recent years. “MCR has to come to the students,” she said. “We can’t expect students to come to MCR.” She also hopes to translate more MCR content into multiple languages, host events at underrepresented schools in the DCC and NEC regions and work directly with SGA advisors to outreach to local school SGAs.

Success, for Duong, means widespread impact. “A successful year is about ensuring that students outside of just the leadership space are interacting with MCR and attending our events, and taking decisive action on pressing issues that are affecting MCPS students.”

Vice President Pankhuri Malayanil 

Vice President Pankhuri Malayanil’s journey to MCR leadership began with a realization about student engagement inequity. She says having conversations with students across the county made her realize that many felt left behind by a system that seemed to favor those with existing connections. “I’d meet incredibly motivated young people who wanted to make a difference but didn’t even know where to start because nobody had ever told them these resources existed,” she said. “Every student should know about these workshops and advocacy opportunities, not just the ones with the right connections.”

Her vision extends beyond high school, focusing on creating what she calls a “seamless pathway for student engagement” that starts in middle school. “I want eighth graders to walk into high school already knowing about MCR, already connected to student advocacy and already equipped with the tools they need to succeed,” she said. 

Malayanil also plans to strengthen collaboration with local school SGAs by getting presidents involved in MCR’s decision making, establishing regular communication and encouraging widespread participation in executive board meetings. Her ultimate goal is ambitious but clear. “By the end of my term, I want every middle and high school student in the county to know that MCR exists and how to get involved.”

Treasurer Zain Qureshi 

Treasurer Zain Qureshi brings experience from his role as class treasurer at Albert Einstein High School and involvement with various advocacy organizations, including co-founding the NEC & DCC Advocacy Coalition (NDAC). 

Qureshi says he approaches the treasurer position as a tool for achieving equity. “I was inspired to run for treasurer from seeing how important funding is throughout the county,” he said. “Having proper funding can be the key to achieving equity.”

He’s also served on SMOB advisory councils and worked as a member outreach deputy for Moco4Change. He says this background has shown him how many students feel unheard, leading to his belief that proper funding can bridge equity gaps. 

Qureshi’s priorities include comprehensive financial transparency, with plans to include detailed finance reports at monthly executive board meetings and general assemblies. “I want not only just executive board members to know about MCR fundraisers,” he said. “I plan to publicize our fundraisers to as many general students as possible, and give financial reports at general assemblies to increase transparency.”

He’s particularly focused on supporting MCR’s middle school counterpart, MCJC, with fundraising efforts. Qureshi also hopes to grow the alumni program to boost both funds and networking opportunities.

Success, for Qureshi, is measured in impact rather than revenue. “A successful year to me as MCR treasurer would be a year where we were able to reach students who would have never heard of MCR,” he said. “I want to be able to help a club or initiative through the grant program that is from a commonly underrepresented school.”

Secretary Anna Jhon 

During Secretary Anna Jhon’s path to advocacy, she says she transformed from an introverted student into a passionate leader. A pivotal car accident in eighth grade was the catalyst for change. “I think that moment was something that switched that light on. It felt like another chance at life,” Jhon said. “It was like a push for me to start advocacy.”

Her first major advocacy action was testifying on the need for a more diverse curriculum in MCPS at the end of eighth grade, followed by grassroots work with political candidates.

Jhon chose the Secretary role because it aligned with her desire to be someone other people can “rely on.” Her communication background includes serving communication roles for various organizations, including former Board of Education member Lynn Harris’s internship and MoCo for Change.

Last year, Jhon spearheaded a successful carpool system that provided rides for 90% of the MCR Executive Board members who lived far away from meeting locations—a successful initiative she plans to continue this year. She’s also working on creating an “MCR minute” video series similar to the previous SMOB minutes, featuring regular updates to be shown during advisory periods.

Jhon has an ambitious vision for success. “A successful year is if we can get all our goals checked off at the end of the year,” she said. “If there’s at least one student that got involved with advocacy because of my work, I bet it will start this domino effect, where the next person continues it on.”

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Shaping the year ahead: Meet the MCR SGA Directors in charge of next year’s legislative direction

Meet the MCR SGA Directors Funding and Training the Next Generation of Student Leaders

Meet the MCR SGA Directors connecting schools, students and communities

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