LEWISTON — Iman Osman was sworn in Monday morning to the Ward 5 seat on the Lewiston School Committee.

He was nominated by Mayor Carl Sheline and unanimously appointed Dec. 17 by the City Council, per the city charter.

The nomination was initially met with confusion about whether or not there had been a deadline for applications. Between two applications that met the criteria for the vacant seat, Sheline chose Osman.

“I am pleased the council reconsidered their initial opposition to my nomination and confirmed Iman Osman,” Sheline said. “I appreciate Mr. Osman’s willingness to serve the youth in our community and thank everyone who came out to support him,” he added.

A 2009 graduate of Lewiston High School, Osman is a social worker at Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services. In addition, he is the executive director of Lewiston Auburn Youth Network. “It’s an ethnic-based nonprofit organization based in Lewiston, serving Lewiston and the area, primarily focused on marginalized youth and their families,” Osman said.

Osman said he was born in Somalia and grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya. He has called Lewiston home since late 2005, serving the city as a social worker for the past decade. Osman’s son attends Montello Elementary in Lewiston.

“I feel a deep connection to our community and its educational landscape,” he said. “I do believe that it’s very important to have a voice and have representation that reflects the growing diversity and demographic change in Lewiston.”

Osman said he wants to reduce the district’s expulsion rates. He said he is planning to get committee members “on board to implement strategies like adapting positive behavior support systems and then providing intervention and support for struggling students.”

“I want to work with them on addressing the underlying causes of the behavioral issues,” Osman said. “And then we want to foster a positive relationship between the staff, the students, and utilizing restorative justice practices.”

He succeeds former Ward 5 representative Ashley Medina.