140,000 Students, One Voice: Meet your CMS Student Advisor Inchara Gopinath

February 20, 2026 - Eli Barsoum (11)

140,000 students. One seat at the table. Allow me to introduce North Mecklenburg High School junior Inchara Gopinath, the student advisor for CMS’s Board of Education.

From North Meck to the District Stage

Inchara has been deeply involved in her community for many years. She serves as vice president of North Meck’s Speech and Debate team. She has been playing golf for more than 6 years now. She also volunteers with Angels and Sparrows, a non-profit devoted to providing food security to underserved families in the Charlotte area. 

Inchara initially decided to run for the CMS board position to showcase the leadership skills she had developed through prior activities and ultimately provide a real benefit to CMS students. She stated that many of her "peers had voiced concerns" to her, and she believed she could adequately advocate for those students’ needs.

Earning the Seat at the Table

Once the board had selected 11 finalists, the campaign process began. When asked how she ran in a district with 140,000 students, Inchara described the campaign as “long and hectic.” This year, CMS adopted an electoral-style voting system so that smaller high schools would have a more balanced voice in selecting the student advisor. After months of hard work on the campaign, Inchara was elected as the 2026 student advisor to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. She was inaugurated on November 5, 2025. By January, she was in her first meeting. 

The Youngest in the Room

Walking into her first meeting, Inchara stated that she “expected to be treated differently” because she was the youngest person in the room. At first, she described the experience as intimidating, unsure how her voice would be received among board members. However, she said the environment “turned out to be very welcoming.”

The Power of Representation

In board meetings, Inchara is given two minutes to speak freely about student concerns or policy issues. While she is not given an official vote on final decisions, she is crucial in advocating for the needs of the CMS student body. Not only does the role carry great symbolic weight, but Inchara believes she can create real change for the student body in 2026.

When asked about how she will make sure she’s hearing from students who aren’t already well-connected, she stated, “I want to deeply enrich the lives of all students. I want to reach out with surveys and online platforms where students can list concerns.” She mentioned that she has "already received various concerns from students across the district.”

Priorities for 2026

One issue she finds to be underrepresented in the district is teacher rights and pay. She passionately stated, “Teachers are my purpose. Our teachers go through so much, and they have been pivotal to my high school education and future.” She is also highly ambitious about advocating for an increase in substitute pay this year.

Regarding student-based issues, she wants to provide free lunches across the district. She is also a strong advocate for funding for both clubs and club advisors.

However, Inchara wants CMS students to know that “issues that they address to the student advisor will not be implemented suddenly or immediately.” She wants students to “acknowledge that some issues will not be fixed right away.”

In addition to policy-based change, Inchara is also ambitious about advocating for structural change in student voice. For example, there is currently a program called Student Outcomes Focused Governance (SOFG), which recognizes 1st- and 2nd-graders who have shown growth. However, Inchara also hopes to implement a program like this for older students as well to further enhance student recognition.

With 140,000 students behind her, CMS Student Advisor Inchara Gopinath is incredibly passionate about creating change across the school district for both teachers and students. Ultimately, she wants students to know that she “doesn't intend to speak for them, but with them,” so that real, positive change can be implemented across the district in 2026.