Meet the teen serving as West St. Paul's first junior City Council member

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. — When teenagers see a future in politics they might start with their school's student council. But a junior at a Twin Cities high school is diving into the deep end.

McKinley Cherrier has been appointed as a junior City Council member in West St. Paul. He's currently a junior at Two Rivers High School.

Speech team keeps Cherrier busy.

"And so a lot of my time is spent reading politics and researching a lot of that," he said.

It's a topic he loves, and now is a part of on a level he never expected, at least not as a high school junior.

Cherrier is a junior city councilor in West St. Paul — the first ever to hold that role.

 "I want to get a lot of experience and exposure," he said. "Experience on how city governments run and what it's like to be in there and to help sort of be an advocate."

An advocate specifically for people his age, which is precisely why Council Member Wendy Berry pushed to have a younger voice on the council.

"If he has something that's he's passionate about, whatever that might be, I hope he gets a chance to bring that forward to the table and get us talking about it or share perspectives that we just are completely overlooking because we don't live it day to day," Berry said.

READ MORE: All-women, racially diverse St. Paul City Council sworn in Tuesday

She contacted Dr. Albert Johnson, the principal at Two Rivers High School.

"Students and our young adults can be our best teachers," Johnson said.

With him on board, a schoolwide email went out asking interested students to apply.

"We did interviews and some phenomenal students applied," Johnson said. "McKinley with his gifts really just rolls to the top. This is a great opportunity and this is in a lane of something that he wanted to do."

And while his first meeting was spent mostly listening, Cherrier knows his chance to speak up for those around him will come.

"With this position I feel like i have the opportunity to do that and create that positive change," he said.

Cherrier's term is one year.

Johnson hopes this is just the beginning of a partnership between Two Rivers High School and West St. Paul.