Islander Kali Aguilera will become the newest member of Vashon’s school board, after her appointment by the board at a meeting held on Thursday, Oct. 28.

In selecting Aguilera for the position, the board followed a process that began with an open call for applicants after the resignation of former school board member Bob Hennessey, on Sept. 9.

The call resulted in the board’s consideration of Aguilera along with three other applicants — Mike Barmonde, Richard Hazzard, and Steve Ellison. At the Oct. 14 board meeting, board members narrowed the field to Hazzard and Aguilera, but Hazzard withdrew his name from consideration last week, at the same time endorsing Aguilera.

In addition to Hazzard’s endorsement, several community members also made public comments, both in person and in writing at the Oct. 14 and 28 board meetings, endorsing Aguilera.

Aguilera, the mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old child, grew up on Vashon and attended all three of its public schools, before attending Lewis & Clark College to study anthropology and sociology.

In her application for the position, Aguilera said that she had had “the privilege of being part of many different communities, not only on Vashon but in multiple countries, cultures and languages.” Her relevant experience, she said, has included work in community health clinics and educational youth programs, in roles that included budgeting, finance management, and developing evaluation systems for organizations.

Aguilera is a fluent Spanish speaker, a Mexican-American, is married to an Afro-Latino Dominican, and is the mother of a multicultural, multiracial child.

“These lived experiences have given me much knowledge in understanding multiple perspectives, building cross-cultural relationships, navigating social and institutional systems, and ultimately bringing people together,” she said.

After the board members conducted a public interview of Aguilera at the Oct. 28 board meeting, they voted unanimously to invite her to join the board. She will be sworn into office at the board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

Aguilera will be the only Latinx board member; Latino students comprise 13.2 percent of the school’s student body.

At press time, the results of the Nov. 3 school board election are not known, but it is expected that Allison Krutsinger, will be elected, as her opponent Lisa Cohen announced that she was withdrawing from the race. Renee Henson, the only candidate for another seat on the board, has also announced her intention to resign if elected. Should a write-in candidate not win that contest, the school board is likely to once again make a call for applicants for the vacant seat.