My name is Kenan Kapetanović. I grew up in Nyack, went through the Nyack Public School system, and now I am now running to be a Trustee on the Nyack School Board. I am a recent graduate who brings a fresh, firsthand understanding of today’s student experience to the school board race.

Having been in the classroom not long ago, I know what students are actually facing each day—the academic pressures, the evolving expectations, and the realities that can’t always be captured in reports or statistics. While other candidates bring valuable experience in governance, administration, and community leadership, they lack what I am able to offer: a direct connection to the student voice that is not currently represented. I believes that effective decision-making starts with truly understanding those most impacted, and I am committed to ensuring that students are heard and considered in meaningful ways. This commitment is balanced with a firm, fiscal responsibility to taxpayers, not green-lighting wasteful spending and misappropriation of funds.

During my time as a student in Nyack Schools, I was a member of the multiple honors societies, clubs, a member of wind ensemble, a two-time captain of the Boys Soccer team, a classmate, and a friend. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have grown up in such a beautiful and vibrant town, always spending time with friends in downtown Nyack or connecting with nature hiking up the Hook to Rockland Lake.

After graduating from Nyack, I took a gap year due to COVID restrictions, working as a waiter at the Art Cafe. After schools began to reopen, I decided to enroll in Sam Draper Honors Program at SUNY Rockland to finish my Associates Degree and then transferred to Stony Brook University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2024. In my time as a student, I was a member of the marching band, a club soccer player, and was elected to manage the third largest club budget on campus as a member of the E-Board for Stony Brook Rowing.