Oakdale High School senior Dylan Hawksworth-Lutzow hopes to have a future in politics and is getting started on that path by serving as the student member to the Oakdale Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees.

The student trustee votes on issues that come before the board, but not personnel issues. The student trustee is elected at the high school and is in Leadership class.

“I feel like I’m getting involved in what I want to do … get some experience for down the road, start making a difference,” Hawksworth-Lutzow said.

Although he’s still young, he confided that for a long time he’s been afraid to die before he’s made accomplishments in life.

“It’s driven me toward things I feel I can make a difference in,” he said.

He said that in high school he realized that he’s very good at economics and public speaking. He added that his interests lie in government, politics, law, and economics and that being on the school board fits with those interests and strengths.

Hawksworth-Lutzow plans to major in economics in college and go into law for his graduate studies. He hopes to then be able to serve in some internships and then transition into politics.

“Through the course of my high school career, I’ve found out this is what I wanted to do,” he said.

There is a fair amount of responsibility that comes with being the student board member. The student member is the voice of the students on the board. As with other board members, the expectation is to attend the meetings and be versed on the contents of the meeting packets and agenda.

“It’s a big commitment but I feel I’m quite capable of balancing my time,” Hawksworth-Lutzow said. “I just want to make sure all the schools are well-connected, that everyone knows what the schools are doing. I only hope I can be an asset.”

He noted that he’s doing more this year than he has during any year in high school. He said he’s gotten more focused and learned how to manage time and prioritize. He added that he’s devoting more of his time to important things such as this new role on the board and his AP courses, and no longer plays video games all day.

He said that governing a district isn’t something in which he’s had any training but added that he’s looking forward to the experience. Hawksworth-Lutzow said that at his age, this is the closest he can get to doing what he wants to do with his life.

“It’s very exciting,” he said, adding that he wants to do a good job.

He is a member of the OHS Academic Decathlon team and is on the OHS varsity tennis team. He’s involved in S (Service) Club, California Scholastic Federation, Model United Nations, Gay Straight Alliance, and was a co-founder of the Frisbee Club.

His mom, Dee, is a teacher in the district and he has a younger sister who is a freshman.