Concord Academy welcomes Malik Traore ’25 as our new student head of school. Born and raised in New Jersey, Malik has been a boarding student at CA since the fall of 2021. As a boarding student, Malik brings a unique perspective to the table. He is the first student head of school in four years to be a boarding student, helping him bring the voices of students most affected by change into the decision-making process.
Since the beginning of his time at CA, Malik has been involved with clubs, affinity spaces, all-school councils, and athletics. He has been a dedicated member of CA’s yearbook club, now serving as the Yearbook Editor-in-Chief. In addition, Malik is a Head Peer Buddy, and a Head Tour Guide. As a co-head of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) this past year, he spearheaded initiatives like the Ramadan assembly and coordinated a day off for Eid al-Fitr with administration. As co-head of Umoja, he cemented the CA Spring Cookout as an annual community tradition.
Malik has also been an active member of the throwing squad on the Track and Field team, the largest varsity team at CA, since his sophomore year. In terms of leadership, Malik was the class president of the Class of 2025 for both his sophomore and junior years. He helped raise more than $10,000 for his class, planned Semi-Formal, a class sleepover, and CA’s first Fall Fest, demonstrating his commitment to all facets of the community.
Malik decided to run for student HoS because he wanted to help CA execute its commitment to having a connected community. Malik hopes to bring change by having a school-wide community service day in the spring, instituting new requirements to elevate clubs presences on campus, and improving the efficiency of the All-School Council. He says, “I understand the communication gap between students and [the] administration and will work to require more student consultation before major changes are announced.” Malik not only recognizes the challenges students face in their day-to-day lives, but also plans to focus on making life more enjoyable.
In partnership with All-School Council, Malik hopes to have a community service day this coming spring. He hopes this initiative will be the start of a tradition fostering a collective culture of giving back to both the CA community and the external Boston area. He shares, “I hope this will become a day of service [that] students can look forward to.”
Malik’s club improvement initiative is centered around accountability. He plans to work with the All-School Council to set up a digital club calendar so both new and returning students can easily see when and where clubs are meeting. He will also work with new and existing clubs to ensure they all have a schedule, mailing list, and are present at Club Expo. This year's Club Expo will be held earlier than in past years, allowing clubs to raise money and begin their meetings as soon as possible. Moving Club Expo earlier in the year will also enable more student-athlete participation.
Additionally, as the head of the All-School Council, Malik intends to improve its efficiency through a variety of ways. He has already instituted one initiative to reduce the size of the council meetings by removing the attendance requirement for class representatives, and two of the four environmental co-heads. Malik hopes the smaller size of council meetings will facilitate more constructive and productive discussions. He also plans to reduce the number of council meetings. Finally, in collaboration with Student Vice Head of School Cam Levesque ’25, Malik intends to provide more detailed and informative council meeting notes to ensure the entire school is informed of the council’s activities.
As the school year begins, CA will be led by an experienced, organized, and effective leader committed to enhancing the lives of all those who call CA home.