High school senior Michael Sessions has gone from losing the race for student body vice president to the mayor-elect of Hillsdale, Michigan.

"I ran because I thought I could bring a difference to the city of Hillsdale," Sessions tells ABC News

Sessions successfully mounted a rare write-in campaign for the office of mayor, narrowly defeating the 51-year-old incumbent, Douglas Ingles, on Tuesday.

Sessions name could not be included on the regular ballot because he had not turned 18 by the May filing deadline.

He will be sworn in as mayor on Nov. 21, but his first official meeting as mayor will be at a community goals strategy session on Nov. 14.

Sessions lives with his parents, Scott and Lorri, and his younger sister. He is a manager of several athletic teams at Hillsdale High and is interested in chess, according to school officials.

"We never thought this would happen," Hillsdale City Manager Tim Vagle tells ABC News