MIDVALE, Utah – Jackson Lewis is still getting used to his election to the Canyons School Board.

“It’s surreal,” he told FOX 13 News in an interview Monday.

Just a year ago, Lewis was graduating from Hillcrest High School. Now, at age 19, the self-described “political nerd” will serve on the nonpartisan school board that oversees that school and others like it in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. He is also believed to be the youngest elected holder in Utah.

“I thought, you know, this is a perfect way to get involved. Not just in the political world, but education is so important,” he said.

Lewis said he was prompted to run as a student when he sat in class and heard discussions about education funding and support for educators. It also believes that student voices are not always considered or necessarily heard in education policy discussions. Lewis received campaign support from his local Democratic party, he said, but also faced some door-knocking obstacles in the district he’s running to represent.

“People said at first, ‘Oh, you’re running for office. You are very young,’” he recalled. – And then we started talking.

Lewis said she campaigned on issues such as addressing chronic absenteeism, raising teacher pay, supporting later start times for classroom instruction, more applied learning and free breakfast and lunch to ensure no one goes hungry.

“Especially when it comes to chronic absenteeism, we need to make sure that students want to be in school and feel respected by the people who have been there,” he said.

But now the optimism of campaigning for office will be replaced by the reality of governing. Lewis said he is prepared for long nights at school board meetings when he takes a seat on the board in January. To achieve his policy goals, he said, he will need to work on them over time and gain support from other school board members. Some of it may involve lobbying the Utah State Legislature.

“I know it’s not just going to happen in one board meeting, right? Obviously, that’s not how it works,” Lewis said. “The reason I keep bringing this up is because people look at me and see that I’m young. I’ve been called ‘naive’ a few times throughout this campaign. I want to assure those who chose me that they know how hard it is. this job is.”

Lewis’ election (returns Monday show him winning with nearly 57 percent of the vote against two challengers) and his youth also have the potential to shake up the Canyons school district. Lewis can speak from first-hand experience about the impact of school board policies on students.

“I think it really reflects the voice of the students in the Canyons School District,” said Dr. Rick Robins, the school district’s superintendent, told FOX 13 News. “Where he graduated a year ago, I’m just excited to hear his thoughts on the district and how we can improve and improve.”

Lewis said he has also been contacted by other young people in the Canyons School District and across Utah who are excited about his election and considering their own involvement in politics. His advice? Get out and talk to people in your community. He talked at length about meeting voters who might not agree with everything he campaigned on, but as they talked they would find they had a lot in common.

“I learned a lot more than if I had been online posting about the election,” he said. “Those conversations, those insights, getting into real communities and learning the lived experiences of those people, will make me a better politician, will make me a better board member. Because you know what? You can’t do good. decisions, unless every voice in this community – unless they’re heard, the decision that’s going to be made is going to be awful and it’s going to be awful for all these people who live in these homes if they’re not listened to.”