DANVILLE -- Before John Spezia takes his seat on the Danville Area Community College Board of Trustees, another newly elected trustee will be seated.

Hayley Lockwood, 18, of Catlin won the student trustee seat after running unopposed in a campuswide election on April 12 and 13.

She will be sworn into office at Tuesday's board meeting, and serve a one-year term that runs through April 14, 2012.

President Alice Jacobs said she believes Lockwood will make a "wonderful" ambassador for the college.

"She's certainly enthusiastic and talented," Jacobs said. "And she has some ideas on strategies she'd like to implement to help students."

Community colleges are required by state law to have a student trustee to represent the student body, DACC President Alice Jacobs said. She said the trustee has an advisory vote and can make or second motions.

The only criteria is that the student trustee be a full-time student carrying 12 or more credit hours.

Lockwood graduated from Catlin High School in 2010. She is a freshman at DACC majoring in public relations and minoring in broadcasting, and she is a member of the college's cross-country team.

In addition to going to school, Lockwood has an internship as a co-host on WDNL-FM's "Tommy B's Big Show" from 7 to 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Lockwood has experience in leadership roles. She served as her class president all four years of high school and on the student council her junior and senior years.

"When I found out DACC had a student trustee, I decided to go for it," Lockwood said, adding she ran against an opponent who had to drop out of the race because he wasn't a full-time student.

While she was excited to win, she admitted she was disappointed that more students didn't run.

She said she was also shocked to learn that some of her peers didn't know where the student union was when she told them that was where voting took place.

"I'd like to change that," said Lockwood, who plans to hold meetings with her constituents there. "I really want to get to know the students and hear their opinions on things the board is discussing and be their voice on the board."

Lockwood also plans to reach out to students by creating a student trustee page on DACC's website. She said she can also reach out to people through the radio program.