Dear neighbors, 

Thank you so much for the honor of electing to be on the MVLA Board! I’m very humbled and grateful for all your support. I’m deeply committed to serving our MVLA community and ensuring that all MVLA students feel connected, embrace challenges, and thrive. 

My experience as a disabled, Anglo-Burmese immigrant and mother of two children drives my interest in public service: my daughter’s a high-achieving student who attended an MVLA school, and my brilliant son’s an MVLA Special Education student who succeeded with parental support. I’ve volunteered in the classroom for 11 years, served on PTA and School Site Council, and MVWSD Committees (Boundaries, Facilities, Parcel Tax), and observed every MVLA Board meeting since April. This first-hand knowledge of how the educational experience must adapt to students’ social, emotional, and academic needs drives me to help every student succeed.    

My top priorities are: 

During my 20 years living in Mountain View, I’ve dedicated countless hours to serving my community. I advocated for children on the Parks and Rec Commission where we created the first tree canopy goal, and as Vice-Chair of the Mountain View Environmental Sustainability Task Force where we created climate change ordinances. 

Before I decide to run, I did a listening tour. I want to be accessible to you and help improve communication between MVLA, parents, and the community. If you have any ideas, recommendations, or feedback, please contact me at thida@<thiswebsite>. I’ll set up a contact form soon but leaving up my email address has led to a lot of spam. I’m also happy to set up a time to talk.

At an early age, I understood I was different and I had to find community with people who celebrate diversity. I was born with non-progressive dystonia. You may see me jerk or move around or stumble over words. That’s just me. I do some things differently to help with my disability. For one thing, I have a service dog who assists me.  When I was a child, the diagnosis for my disability didn’t exist.

Thida comes from my Burmese mother and Cornes comes from my English father. They married at a time when mixed-race marriages were not common. We emigrated to Davis, California and I attended public high school where I found my tribe. Over the years, I’ve made friends with people from many different backgrounds.

Thank you,