SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Ahead of the general election later this year, a 19-year-old student at the University of Central Florida is running to hold a position on the Seminole County School Board.
The student — Antonio Pizza — announced his campaign on Monday, revealing his push for the school board’s District 1 seat.
In a release, Pizza said that he initially graduated from Hagerty High School, and he is now a Political Science student at UCF.
According to the release, Pizza’s platform is aimed at trying to better educate students — not simply “pushing students through classes.”
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“We cannot just pass students through the system to inflate our metrics,” he said. “We need to make sure that our students actually learn the material instead of cheating or gliding through remedial classes. We need to ensure that students are physically present in class, where they can learn and be held accountable for their work. We need to provide a positive environment for academic and social growth, free from distractions.”
Pizza also touted a variety of leadership positions, including among UCF College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty, the Order of the Arrow, and Boy Scouts of America, the last of which he earned the ranked of Eagle Scout.
In addition, Pizza said he interned for other political campaigns, including Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate run, Rachel Plakon’s state representative campaign, and Brady Duke’s Oviedo mayoral push.
“Since I graduated from Hagerty High School, I have on-the-ground experience with how Seminole County schools are currently run,” Pizza said. “I have seen what this school system has to offer, and I have built a strong love of this community and a desire to leave it better than I found it.”