Catalan activist Valentina Servera Clavell is hoping to be the SNP candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie in the 2021 election.
The constituency's current MSP Gil Paterson will not be seeking re-election in next year's Scottish Parliament election.
At the weekend, "Glasgow Girl" Roza Salih also said she was running for the Clydebank seat.
Ms Servera Clavell, aged 21, is the youngest candidate to put her name forward so far but she does not believe her age should define her.
She said: "As a young woman, my age has never defined who I am. I had to grow up very quickly and lived through the harsh realities of life under a callous government.
"From being evicted from my childhood home to using food banks, I understand how tough life can get because we have a Westminster government that deliberately makes decisions to detriment the people living in Scotland.
"I can relate a lot to the local issues. This constituency is where I felt my work would be most helpful.
"The outcome of Covid-19 is yet to be seen but we know difficult economic times are coming. And if the opportunity is given, I’d protect as much as possible for my constituents to avoid them going through what I had to go through."
The 21-year-old moved to Scotland from Catalonia and rose to prominence within the SNP after a 2019 speech at the party conference.
The self-described "Catalan new Scot" campaigned against the imprisonment of Catalan politicians by the Spanish government.
Ms Servera Clavell described seeking selection after being a victim to austerity politics.
She said: "Like many in Clydebank & Milngavie, I have suffered under austerity politics by a government I did not vote for. Scotland has already carved its own identity as a leader on the world stage.
"It is time Scotland takes its place as such and becomes an independent country."
Last November, Servera Clavell spoke at an independence rally at George Square alongside Nicola Sturgeon.
She has also been actively advocating for Scotland's place in the European Union as President of the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy).
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