With election results becoming available last week, including school board positions, it has become clear to parents and students alike that a new era of Culver City Unified School District is on the way. Triston Ezidore, 19, recently was elected as one of the new CCUSD school board members during the last midterm election. An alumni from CCHS, Ezidore graduated in the Class of 2021. Now, he has set the record for the youngest person to ever become an elected official in both Culver City and on a larger scale, LA County. In addition, he became the first black male to serve on the CCUSD school board. This will pave the way for a school district that not only claims to value diversity but builds the support systems necessary for racial equity and increased opportunities for success on campus. 

On the topic of his young age, Ezidore said, “I had a responsibility to run and win for this seat to make sure that we change the tone, tenor, and rhetoric for young people in politics.” He views his relative youth as an asset that offers him a better ability to serve his community and work in communication with high school students in particular. One of his many missions is to provide a voice to young adolescents who are impacted by education policies and the decisions made by local politicians. “Making sure politics, civic engagement, and transformative education policy is accessible and appealing to students makes me more in touch with the issues, demands, and needs of students in the district,” said Ezidore.

During his time at Culver City High School, Triston Ezidore was president of Senior Class Council, collaborating with his peers and leaving behind a legacy of inspirational activism during the pandemic. He was also involved in leadership of the Student Union– which aimed to voice concerns on issues such as sexual misconduct, racial equity, mental health resources, and sustainability.

This experience relates to his current platform because in everything that he focuses on and works towards, Ezidore values community and emphasizes the importance of representation and cooperation. “Rooting our issues, policy platform, and call-to-action in community is a winning ticket,” he said. “My lived and shared experiences fighting against those who were simply willing to offer more of the same really offered me the outlook that students wanted change.”

With so many opportunities for growth, Triston Ezidore’s plans for improving the school district are two-fold. 

Short-term, he hopes to help students recover from the social, emotional, and academic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. He acknowledges that many students’ learning abilities and mental health were negatively impacted during isolation, saying that he “thinks socio-emotional aspects are a crucial part when it comes to our learning”. For these reasons, he stresses that both the school board needs to focus on both the mental health and academic needs of students. 

A major long-term goal of the school board member is to address the wide achievement gap that is present in schools nationwide. According to Ezidore, there is a 99% graduation rate at CCHS, but only a 50% “college readiness” rate. This means that after leaving campus, a large portion of students remain unprepared for adulthood and success in the future. “The percentage of ‘not college-ready’ kids are overwhelmingly black and brown, students with disabilities, and English language learners,” said Ezidore. To combat this, his platform focuses on structural and systemic plans to “ensure academic rigor and excellence to every single one of our students.”

In regards to students using their voices for positive change, Ezidore expressed how in his new position, he wants to convey the message that student needs and opinions are of the utmost importance. “We work for you, so please do not hesitate to reach out to the board with your concerns,” he said. 

When asked what advice he would give to teenagers and young people seeking change and striving for community growth, he said, “stay head down and focused on the challenges of the moment but clear still on the promise of the future.”

Due to his lived experiences with race, ethnicity, and activism, Ezidore’s unique perspective differentiates himself from other board members and offers a fresh perspective that will benefit the productivity and function of the group when making important decisions in the future. Triston Ezidore has graduated from high school politics to becoming a leader on a citywide level– and at such a young age, only time will tell what mark this dedicated CCHS alumni will make on the world.