Politics Teddy Roosevelt's Teen Descendant Sworn In as D.C.'s Youngest Elected Official President Theodore Roosevelt's great-great-great-grandson Quentin Colón Roosevelt, 18, took office Monday By Valerie Nome Valerie Nome Contributor, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 4, 2023 01:47PM EST Photo: Quentin Colón Roosevelt/Twitter; Hulton Archive/Getty A new Roosevelt is coming up in Washington, D.C.'s political scene — and he's still in high school. President Theodore Roosevelt's great-great-great-grandson Quentin Colón Roosevelt, 18, took office Monday, becoming the youngest elected official in the U.S. capital. According to WTOP News, the 26th president's younger relative now represents Spring Valley, the Palisades, and Kent as a nonpartisan advisory neighborhood commissioner. Commissioners work directly with area residents and offer their recommendations to D.C. government agencies, typically serving two-year terms. "I think it's really important that young people get involved," Roosevelt told 7News. "We just had a Gen Z member of Congress get elected, Maxwell Frost, he's awesome. It's really important that we see young people at the local level and the national level, just making our voices heard." Gen Z Rep.-Elect Maxwell Frost Was Denied a D.C. Apartment: 'Ran Up a Lot of Debt Running for Congress' Working in government is in Roosevelt's lineage, the Spring Valley resident claims. "My grandfather was a lawyer for the CIA," he told NBC Washington. "His grandfather did politics and government stuff, as well. I think we just want to be involved in what's going on around us because we feel we have to give back to this country that's given my family so much." John Fetterman Ditches His Famous Hoodie for Suit on First Day as Senator — and Jokes About Son 'in Shorts' Roosevelt says his top concerns include housing, education, and pedestrian and bike safety. "I think that the school system where I live needs an overhaul, really, and so we have a new school coming in Ward 3," he told the station. "It's called MacArthur High School, right now. It's on MacArthur Boulevard, and I really want to make sure that school sort of flourishes so we have a real neighborhood high school, because when we have neighborhood schools, neighborhoods just get so much better." Roosevelt is wrapping up his senior year at an online high school, and plans to attend college in the area. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.