ROCHESTER, N.Y. — An election in Rochester made history Tuesday night, as 19-year-old Isaiah Santiago is now the youngest commissioner ever elected to the Rochester City School District Board of Education.

Santiago is no stranger to the school district. He graduated from the School of the Arts in 2022. Santiago says he’s been attending school board meetings since 11th grade. A huge part of his platform was having that inside perspective as a recent grad.

“I think overall I just felt a sense of gratefulness to be in the role that I am in, to be able to lead young people onto getting involved in our local politics, which a lot of times is overshadowed,” Santiago said.

Santiago says he wants to focus on student mental health.