Matthew Bernea, 7, has big dreams of being an astronaut.

The third grader was born and raised in Donna, and he says he takes pride in his hometown city.

“It's a great place to live, there's a lot of families here and there's new business coming into town,” Matthew said.

On Thursday, Matthew was named Donna city mayor for the day.

As part of the experience, Donna City Mayor David Moreno let Matthew shadow him for the day.

“I told him get used to this, get used to shaking hands and saying hello and being available to the people here in the city of Donna because they all want to talk,” Moreno said. “They all have concerns, they all have something they want to express, and that's what we're here for: to serve the community.”

Moreno and Matthew attended several important meetings together on Thursday.

“I'm hoping that it sparks an interest in him,” Moreno said. “We always say our kids are our future, we want them to be interested in what goes on in our community because one day, he can decide to run for commissioner, run for mayor, and make a difference here in the city.”

Matthew says after shadowing the mayor and meeting everyone in city departments, he now understands the importance of public service.

“[It’s] to improve the quality of life,” Matthew said.

The city plans to invite more students to be mayor for a day before the new school year begins.

Watch the video above for the full story.