18-year-old is Oregon's youngest delegate attending Democratic National Convention in Chicago

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — About 80 Oregon delegates are in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, including 18-year-old Jeffrey Teh from Portland.

Teh, the youngest delegate from Oregon this year, told KOIN 6 News he funded the trip himself.

"I kind of ran a miniature campaign, with a website, with photos, and eventually by March or April, I was elected," he said.

Teh represents the whole state. But voters elected him in the First Congressional District, covering parts of Portland to Hillsboro and stretches all the way to the coast.

"It's a pretty big district," Teh said.

Teh is now engaging with top leaders, despite just graduating from high school a few months back.

"It’s been a really, really great time. The Oregon delegation, all of the delegations, um, they all have really, really diverse set of individuals," Teh said. "I’ve been able to shake hands with the vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, so yeah it’s been really great."

Teh has been active in youth leadership and is passionate about issues like gun control and climate change. He hopes to inspire more young people to make their voices heard and show them it's possible.

"Just sitting there I could feel the energy of the crowd," Teh said. "We can’t be apathetic, we must really be engaged and get involved."

After graduating from Sunset High School, Teh said he may be interested in running for some kind of public office after he completes college. He's set to start his freshman year at Middlebury College in Vermont in a few weeks.