Jordon Steele-John is studying politics and history at university but he's about to ask his teachers for a deferral. They shouldn't mind - he's about to make political history as Australia's youngest-ever senator.
After a week of soul-searching, the 22-year-old Green has decided to take up the Senate seat left vacant by Scott Ludlam.
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The Green collapse
Richard Di Natale must be reeling after the seismic loss of deputies Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters and will now have to re-arrange the Greens landscape. Artist: Matt Davidson.
In an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media, the disability advocate said he has the full support of Richard Di Natale and his parliamentary team - despite speculation he was pressured to stand aside for a more conventional candidate.
"I have experienced no pressure whatsoever," Steele-John said. "I've only experienced the total and complete support of the entire party to come to whatever decision I felt was right for me and for the party."
There are plenty of legal and party processes to go through before it's official, but as number three on the Greens' 2016 Senate ticket it's now all but certain Steele-John will take up his new role in the coming months.
Why the delay in coming to a decision?
"Losing Scott was a shock and a sad experience for all of us. Scott has been an incredible mentor and friend to me. So obviously there has been that to deal with, and then I had to really think about my own position," he said. "After that careful internal reflection - which is appropriate for a significant decision like this - I have firmly resolved that I want to do this job. I'm capable and ready to do this job."
First thing's first: Steele-John has a British accent. Is he certain he's not a dual citizen?
He laughs. "I am confident of that, yes. I was the Greens candidate for Fremantle in 2013 and therefore had to go through that citizenship process then. Something which I was happy and proud to do."
Steele-John came to Australia with his parents when he was a young child. It didn't take him long to take an interest in local politics.
"My earliest political memory is of the Tampa crisis. I was six years old then so I didn't understand the intricacies of the issue but I did understand there were people asking for our help and we were saying no. That had a profound impact on me."
His parents were proud Labor voters. Steele-John always assumed he would follow in their footsteps - until Julia Gillard announced her controversial people-swap deal with Malaysia. In the ensuing parliamentary debate he went searching for "moral clarity".
He found it in the Greens and joined the party soon after. He became a candidate a year later and has run twice since then.
Already, politics has thrown up some unique challenges.
Steele-John's cerebral palsy means he has to use a wheelchair, which makes it harder to meet voters. In 2013 he found going door-to-door just wasn't possible so he set up a stall in a shopping centre.
"Throughout the day people came up to me and were putting silver coins on the table - they assumed I was fundraising for charity. They were surprised to find out I actually wanted to be their elected representative," he said.
Disability issues will be high on his agenda: challenging stereotypes and busting myths. So too will issues like youth unemployment; fitting given he is stealing Sarah Hanson-Young's "youngest person ever elected to the Senate" crown by a full three years.
He doesn't intend to be a seatwarmer: "My intention at this stage is to represent WA in the Senate for as long as the people and the party deem it appropriate."
First though, he has to arrange that deferral.
"Never has a uni gap year been more fully justified I think."
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