The Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Trustees has welcomed Santa Barbara High School senior Erick Gonzalez Ramirez as the fourth student board member in district history.

Before applying for the School Board post, Ramirez volunteered on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council.

“This past year, I worked with the Superintendent’s Advisory Council on Mental Health Awareness, which resonated with me. I think it is an important aspect of life that we need to prioritize and take care of,” he said.

Ramirez attended Santa Barbara Community Academy and La Cumbre Junior High before going to SBHS.

On the Board of Trustees, he replaces Anastasia Li, who graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in June.

“I’m very grateful for this one-of-a-kind experience where I was able to uplift the student perspective on issues like mental health and discrimination while learning about how a school district functions to serve its community,” said Li. who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are so proud of Erick, Anastasia, and our student board members. Their efforts to highlight the mental health crisis in our junior and high school spaces are vital, and the exact kind of advocacy we need from this role,” said schools Superintendent Hilda Maldonado.

“Mental is and will continue to be a key focus of our district in the next year,” she said.

Erick’s first full meeting as a student board member will be July 16.