Tulane University senior Jeramey Anderson turns 22 on Friday — the same day he will be sworn into the Mississippi House of Representatives, making him the youngest member of the legislative body.
The Tulane student won the seat after a general election against the candidate backed by the local Democratic Party, even though Anderson had led the Democratic primary. Anderson took 60% of the vote in Tuesday's election, the Sun Herald reports.
According to the Associated Press, Anderson is studying homeland security and public relations at Tulane, and has made arraignments with the school's dean to continue his education online when the House is in session.
Anderson told the Sun Herald that he believes education is the most important issue he'll face.
"We focus too highly on standardized testing .. We teach students to memorize the answers to specific questions and ideas, but what we don't teach them is how is they got those answers. We need to get back to the foundation of understanding why things are what they are," he said.