This past spring, we at the City opened applications to all students who live in Newberg and wanted to serve their community. Following a resolution passed in March of 2021, a student commissioner position was opened on all of the City's standing boards, commissions, and committees. The application was met with a great response with 13 students applying for the various positions. After an interview process with the Mayor and Councilors, six students were offered positions and two alternates were chosen. Keep reading to meet our 2021-22 Student Commissioners! 

Planning Commission Student Commissioner Aiden Gray

Aiden Gray - Planning Commission 

Aiden Gray is a senior at Newberg High School graduating in 2022. She excels in art and science and is planning on pursuing a degree in civil engineering. She enjoys painting and drawing. She is a member of the Rotary Interact Club, National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. She will be finishing her Eagle Scout rank with Scouts BSA in fall 2021. She is looking forward to supporting Newberg on the Planning Commission. 

Library Board Student Commissioner Claire Faucher

Claire Faucher - Library Advisory Board 

Claire Faucher is a student at Newberg High School, where she is a member of the cross-country and lacrosse teams, orchestra, and Associated Student Body. She works as a math instructor and loves getting to help others learn. In her free time, Claire enjoys reading and spending time outside.

Historic Preservation Board Student Commissioner Liam Deckon

Liam Deckon - Historic Preservation Commission

Born and raised all his life in the Willamette Valley, Liam Deckon holds a deep passion for historical study, taking special interest in the fields of vexillology, cartography, and cultural tradition. Having moved to Newberg in 2018, Liam has done a wide range of volunteer work for Friendsview, a local senior living community, most notably as the activity assistant for bingo in the summer of 2019, and dressing up as the Easter Bunny in the spring of 2021. A student at Newberg High School, he currently has a G.P.A. of 4.000, with a Weighted G.P.A. of 4.240, and is taking an advanced mathematics course. Liam has acted in a radio advertisement, has a thoughtful admiration for cats, loves eating chicken paprikash, and is an avid, albeit amateur surfer. Appointed as the Student Commissioner of the Historic Preservation Commission in the summer of 2021, he hopes to serve the denizens of Newberg by bringing awareness to our united history and what connects each of us together, and to nourish further effort in our community to preserve what makes Newberg, Newberg. 

Citizen Rate Review Committee Student Commissioner - Alexander Aguilar

Alexander Aguilar - Citizens' rate review committee

Alexander Aguilar is a senior Veritas School in Newberg and is very excited for the opportunity to serve on the Citizens' Rate Review Committee. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but has lived in Newberg for the past eight years, and has fallen in love with the small-town atmosphere and community, as well as the beauty of the pacific northwest. He enjoys learning about law and government and is excited to gain insight into how city government functions. An experience that largely led to his passion for law and government was the opportunity he had studying constitutional law at Harvard University last summer. He believes that it’s critical to ensure that all city residents trust their government and are willing and comfortable to reach out and participate in shaping the future. As a teenager in the twenty-first century, he has realized the incredible responsibility his generation has and the pivotal point we are at as a society. He is fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved in the future of this city. On the side, He enjoys painting, playing violin, running and staying fit, and food. Serving others is one thing he truly loves. He is eager to bring that to city government. 

Affordable Housing Commission Student Commissioner Joyce Allegra del Rosario

Joyce Allegra del rosario - affordable housing commission

Mrs. Joyce Allegra del Rosario is a senior accounting student at George Fox University. She volunteers as the Communications Director for Southwest Hills Residential League, Bookstore Support for Oregon Christian Writers, Web Administrator for Sons and Daughters Oregon Pioneers, and Database Manager for Minority Veterans of America. Joyce and her family love to share stories around a campfire with local yummies sizzling under the wide Oregon skies. Joyce has been part of the Veterans for Housing Initiative with the National Center for Housing Management since 2019 and will have completed all eighteen of their certifications by the end of 2021. She is excited to apply some of this knowledge, and her passion for community services, in the process of creating housing solutions on a local level. 

Traffic Safety Committee Student Commissioner - Kaspar Czuk

Kaspar Czuk - Traffic Safety Commission

Kaspar Czuk is currently a senior at Newberg High School. He enjoys sports and various other extracurricular activities, such as the Traffic Safety Commission, resulting in him walking, biking, and driving across nearly every avenue and sidewalk in Newberg. Through which, he's come across some not-so-fun potholes, intersections, and parking zones that, with the help of the city and its people, he can help make easier for the new drivers of the next generation and for that of the old. 

Alternate Student Commissioner Levi Stroup

Levi Stroup - Budget Committee

Levi Stroup has been a Newberg resident for 22 years. He has always had an appreciation for our town and our community. He's currently going into his second year of college and hopes to major in Political Science or Social work. He looks forward to serving alongside fellow Newberg residents to continue bettering our unique community.

 

 
 
Thomas Rahkola - Alternate

Thomas Rahkola is appointed an alternate in case of a vacancy in a board or commission for a term of September 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. Thomas is grateful for the chance to learn about how the city functions and to provide his point of view. Thomas is currently a student at Veritas High School and resides within District 4.