Xyra Mercer, a junior at Dorchester’s Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School, is the new student representative on the Boston School Committee. She was elected to the position by her peers on the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) and sworn in last week.

Mercer is described as a “tour de force” at the Henderson, where she serves as captain of the Debate Team, a member of Student Government, a leader of Vanguards (the Henderson’s women’s empowerment group), a member of the Black Student Union, a voting member of the Henderson Governing Board, and an active member of the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that my peers have entrusted me with. As a student, I believe that it is important and necessary for our voices to be heard in regard to our futures. We should be able to know the changes that are going to come and be able to also make those changes,” said Mercer.

She was born and raised in Boston in a Jamaican household and intends to pursue a career in education. Her first Boston School Committee meeting was held on April 28.