A Wizard’s Path: Giovanni Berchielli and Juliana Serrano

Washingtonville High School senior Giovanni Berchielli and junior Juliana Serrano are taking their seats at the Board of Education table this year with a responsibility that extends well beyond the high school walls.

As Washingtonville Central School District’s student Board of Education representatives, Gio and Juliana bring student perspectives into conversations happening at the board level.

Now in his second year on the board, Gio steps into the senior student representative role previously held by Lila Sinacori. After working alongside her last year, he said he feels prepared to take on the position.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor,” Gio said. “She knew exactly what she was doing.”

Juliana, meanwhile, is beginning her first year as the junior student representative. Applying for the position was an opportunity to take on a larger role in the district.

“I really like being involved in the community, and I think communication is really important between all the schools,” she said.

This year, Gio wants to expand how student representatives gather feedback, finding more ways to connect directly with students across Washingtonville’s schools and grade levels.

“I feel like I have a good sense of what’s going on at the high school and what students here are thinking,” Gio said. “Now I want to work on bridging the gap between all the schools and getting everyone together.”

When Juliana took her seat at the Board of Education table last week, she was not entirely new to board meetings. She had attended one before with her softball team for a seasonal sports recognition, but participating as a student representative offered a much different view.

The experience gave her a broader look at the planning and work happening across the district and how much takes place beyond what students see in their day-to-day school lives.

“You realize there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes,” Juliana said.

For Gio, a year in the role has also changed how he thinks about representation. One of the biggest lessons, he said, has been recognizing that the position is not necessarily about bringing his own opinions to the table.

“In a representative role, you’re representing everyone,” he said. “You’re not just representing what you think.”

Service is also a common thread in both students’ lives outside the boardroom.

Juliana, who hopes to pursue a career in neonatal care, is involved in JROTC, plays softball and serves as treasurer of her class. She also regularly volunteers in the community, including at a local food pantry and school events.

Her interest in neonatal care was influenced in part by her mother, a labor and delivery nurse, and her younger twin sisters’ experience in the NICU.

“I’ve always had this passion for wanting to help people,” she said. “It’s very rewarding.”

She is also exploring health and athletics through a science research course, where she is studying how injuries in adolescent athletes can affect mental health and athletic identity.

Gio’s own interest in service has led him toward a future centered on helping others. He hopes to study political science and eventually pursue a career in politics, which he sees as a form of community service on a larger scale.

Outside the boardroom, Gio is captain of the tennis team, a NYSSMA All-State musician and a student reporter for the Blooming Grove Post.

“I always liked talking to people,” he said. “I always thought I had the skill for understanding what people need and how to meet those needs.”

While the Board of Education offers experience connected to his future goals, Gio said he values the role for what it is teaching him now about listening to others and representing their perspectives.

“It’s learning how to be that connector, and how to make that bridge,” he said. 

As the school year continues, Gio and Juliana hope to strengthen that bridge by finding more ways to hear from students across Washingtonville’s schools and bring those perspectives with them to the board table.