ASU SOPHOMORE BECOMES YOUNGEST EVER TEMPE UNION GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

At 19, Armando Montero is now the youngest member of a school board that stresses diversity and equal representation

​In the November Tempe Union High School District Governing Board elections, Armando Montero, a sophomore studying political science, economics and math, made history by becoming the youngest ever member elected to the board at 19. He was ceremonially sworn in by Mayor Corey Woods during the board’s first meeting of the year on Jan. 13.
Montero said joining the board was never a long-term goal, but his experience with the district made him knowledgeable of the issues students faced. When he was a sophomore in high school, Montero lost a friend to suicide, which prompted him to pay attention to the lack of mental health resources available in schools.
"Not only does Arizona have a student to counselor ratio of 1 to 900, but our counseling department is structured as very college readiness-oriented, they’re shorthanded and there is also a negative stigma surrounding mental health," Montero said.
As a junior in high school, Montero invested himself in learning about mental health and suicide prevention with the school district and became an active member in the community. In 2018, Montero organized with students across the district to introduce a resolution to the school board that was presented to more than a dozen other districts in Arizona.
“Having that opportunity to work with the district, I realized that there really wasn’t a voice for students on a governing board that oversees 14,000 students,” Montero said.

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