He’s the former intern for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) who rushed to the congresswoman’s side after she was shot in the head outside a Tucson supermarket. And, now Daniel Hernández Jr. is now an elected member of a Tucson-area school board.

The 21-year-old hero—who propped up Gifford’s head in a move credited with helping save her life—was elected to a vacant seat on the Sunnyside Unified School District governing board. Hernández received 61.8 percent of the vote.

“Our entire team is very proud of Daniel,” Jessica Schultz, Giffords’ campaign political director told the Los Angeles Times. “His commitment to southern Arizona was evident through his work in our office.”

The University of Arizona political science major can add this feat to his list of accomplishments, including  attending the State of the Union address, meeting President Obama and throwing out the first pitch at Major League Baseball’s All-Star game.

During the shooting in January that left six people dead and severely injured Giffords, Hernández ran to her side, was the first person to attend to her, and tried to stop her bleeding—possibly saving her life. His quick thinking made him a national hero, a title Hernandez didn’t think he deserved. But President Obama disagreed.

“We’ve decided you are a hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive,” Obama said during a memorial service in Tucson.

Image courtesy of Photo by David Becker/Getty Images.

Tags: Board Member, Daniel Hernández Jr., Election, President Obama, Sunnyside Unified School District, Tucson, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, University of Arizona

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