Hi, my name is Nhan Cao. I am a second-year mechanical engineering student and also currently a delegate for ICC in ASUCM. Being deeply involved with AIAA I’ve gotten to experience many unique engineering projects and seen how experience playsa critical role for the job prospect of many AIAA members. I want my experience with AIAA to be universal among all engineering organizations. In ICC, I worked hard in closed sessions to convince fellow delegates to give full funding to projects and jobs/research conventions travel bills. I believe by allowing students to have the creative freedom to take on ambitious projects, secure future careers, and admission into graduate school will go a long way in building UC Merced’s community. With experience inICC and connections to many engineering organizations, I’ll work hard to secure you funding, so you can focus on your projects.

As a third-year undergraduate student here at UC Merced, I have picked up a variety of skills throughout my academic career, through student job opportunities, and from being observant. Most of my personal experience lies in writing, childcare, and community service. I can assure that the qualities I’ve gained through my experiences may be applied to the Senator At-Large position, and to the legal field as well since that is where I am headed. I have obtained skills such as patience, paying greater attention to detail, organizational skills, modes of discipline, understanding psychological cues, and working at a quick pace from working in childcare for many years and growing up with five younger siblings.

I enjoy writing, as it is my minor, I was an associate editor of the Undergraduate Research Journal, and I read a variety of topics contributing to my ability to write under almost any field. My passion for helping others may be reflected in a variety of activities that I have taken part in. I became Community Service Chair of UNICEF at UC Merced, where I am the organizer of various community service and volunteering events, and I promote our club to encourage others to join us in our work to aid children in underdeveloped countries.

As I promote the well-being of children and human rights, and as I take great interest in diversity and studies aside from my own, I have made connections to various groups on campus. I learned a great deal of time management skills from balancing each of these opportunities with my classes, and with my job working at the Early Childhood Education Center on campus. I recently became involved with the UC Merced Law Clinic as a law clerk, and I am planning to organize a student-led newspaper which I plan to make one of my major projects under a Senator Linares 2 At-Large position. This project will serve to educate the public and keep the people of Merced unified and up-to-date with a variety of topics to appeal to a range of interests.

As a Senator At-Large, I would aim to promote the positive environment of our campus and the success of, and availability of resources to, students here at UC Merced. I believe every student, regardless of background, sexual orientation, social status, or ethnicity, should have equal opportunities to thrive and be provided access to resources that could possibly benefit them emotionally, educationally, or even long-term. Having moved to over ten cities across California, I have noted the importance of understanding diversity and living conditions across a range of drastically different environments, and I take pride in that I have the opportunity to be a voice for those who feel underrepresented. With a positive, open-minded, determined, and patient personality, I feel I would fit in well as a Senator At-Large.

My name is Christopher Martinez and I am a current second-year undergraduate student at UC Merced with a Political Science major and Management and Business Economics minor. I grew up in sunny Los Angeles, specifically Koreatown. Some hobbies I enjoy doing include reading, cutting hair and working out. I am honored and beyond excited to run for the ASUCM Senate, to bring voices of students into our school government. My objective as a senator is to make reasonable and proper decisions that will aid every student. I firmly believe that UC Merced is a place to prosper and flourish academically and professionally and want to ensure that every student has equal access and representation in the campus community in order to achieve their goals and be themselves while looking out for future generations.

As a senator at-large, I want to encourage and advocate for well-balanced and reasonable spending. Throughout my time at UC Merced, I’ve seen several instances where some clubs feel excluded from the growth that can easily be given through funding, consequently some students are left feeling voiceless. Given the power of Article V, Section 11 of the constitution of ASUCM I can make significant developments. Additionally, I want to advocate for better food options and sustainable dining. Through my personal experience, I’ve seen the lack of effort to enforce better food options for athletes that play sports or workout on a constant basis. As an athlete myself there have been instances where students have very limited food options and can’t eat healthy, affecting the overall well-being of students. Moreover, I plan to advocate for better food sustainability. UC Berkeley has created a proposal called “Global Food Initiative” which brings sustainable and healthy food to their campus from locally grown humane farms. Similarly, I want to bring a proposal to UC Merced that addresses this issue and cultivates a community that cares about food security in a way that is both nutritious and sustainable for students now and future generations.

Finally, I want to popularize the diverse resources and spaces available around campus. As a senator, I want to encourage both new and old students to check out the variety of clubs and resources available on campus to make sure that they find a home away from home. In this way we can contribute to the growing diverse community that UC Merced has already started, while also helping students reach their goal in a safe environment. Taking on this role would be an opportunity to provide and promote equal representation for the variety of different interests and opinions while respecting and making adequate decisions that benefit all students at UC Merced.

Greetings to all who are reading this, my name is Efren Vazquez Gonzalez and I am running to be a Senator. My passion to become a Senator is to provide representation regarding immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, activist, and much more. I identify as being bipartisan because the manner of reaching an agreement from both pro and con standers is important and resolves tension among members. As a result, I am interested to become your UC Merced Senator to ensure representation among all communities within campus and eliminate any bias viewpoints towards others.

In terms of my involvement on campus, I am a member of the Pre-Law Society, ASUCM-ICC delegate, and law clinic. All of those extracurriculars showcased abilities of leadership, teamwork, and enthusiasm because I was engaged with the community of Merced. This illustrates that I’m an individual whose professional and laidback when asked to ensure a comfortable environment. I understand that other individuals may experience social anxiety or are introverts in large environments so if I were your Senator, I will fight to bring comfort towards those individuals.

On the other hand, my accomplishment that I desire to pursue is to recognize clubs who are marginalized and later give a false sense of hope receiving funds. For example, ICC showed me that theirs clubs who don’t receive funding and when they submit their applications, are positioned with judgement. This is significant for me because I will fight for those are marginalized and explain to others that we as possible Senators can make someone’s educational or social goals become reality. Another accomplishment is to engage more with the community. I stand firm that everyone should have an equal saying in society, regardless of the position the individual is with. This will raise awareness towards issues that weren’t recognized before. Additionally, possible Senators could collaborate to create other student organizations to help first year students and continuing students. Overall, I am enthusiastic to possibly serve as Senator because equal representation is needed more within college campuses. If I were to become a Senator, I will ensure individuals are heard regardless of their background. My involvement within UC Merced has showcased how student government is depended among students because the school has minimal resources to distribute.

Hello, my name is Kaila Greenberg and I'm a second year political science major from Northern San Diego. I'm also looking to double major in psychology with a minor in cognitive science. Currently I work in the Office of Student Involvement as a Campus Involvement Programs Intern, and I'm also a part of ASUCM CAB as the design coordinator for Large Scale. I am highly interested in running for Senate, as I am always looking for new ways to get involved with the campus and meet new people. I hope to be able to help serve the students by furthering their voice in Senate, while assisting in making the changes they want to see in our campus. I am passionate about politics, and I believe this position would give me the opportunity to expand my horizons as a scholar and as a Bobcat.

Hello, first and foremost I would like to introduce myself: my name is Stephanie Ibarra, and I am a second year majoring in Sociology. During these unprecedented times, I have given a lot of thought on how myself and my fellow peers are able to improve our schools community as a whole.

To begin, many students have voiced their opinions and suggestions on the improvement of the services CAP provides for our students and the progress made has not been efficient enough to satisfy the needs of the students. As I am sure, the people in charge of CAP have an enormous workload, and I respect their efforts, and that is why I want to be able to help them address student concerns. I want to become a resource that fosters collaboration in order to ensure unity. The mental health of students is a priority that as a community should not be taken lightly. I would like to suggest implementing a system of students helping other students. This innovative peer-based system would allow students to sign up and help other students in need: this can consist of both of listening to their issues or simply have someone to chat with. I am aware that students do not have a license to offer advice which is what CAP’s counselors provide. However, it is easier for students to talk to students who may know what they are going through, and there are also more students than counselors on campus to provide help. I know that students are willing to help out in this because the UC Merced community is there for each other which I have seen and experienced at first hand. I will work diligently to resolve this issue!

Another issue I would like to tackle while being senator is the improvement of the food options that our school provides. I have seen many issues while being in these spaces that should be changed immediately. Many students rely on the food that is given in the Yablokoff- Wallace Dining Center and the Pavillion because that is their only source of food on campus. There should under no circumstances be insects in the food that is given as this can be hazardous to the health of students. The options should also be changed often because all students deserve a good meal after finishing a long day of arduous clases. I am not stating that there should be a huge shift in our options, but different meals may be crafted by utilizing the same ingredients. I commend the efforts of the Pavilion Administrators, but I believe new policies would greatly benefit the campus.

The workers that help keep our campus clean deserve to be recognized, appreciated, and provided the same benefits as students receive. These employees help keep our facilities clean for our personal well being and they should be given the support that they deserve. As a member of the Labor Commision organization on campus, members have voiced their concerns to me and it is imperative we address these crucial grievances in an expedited fashion to ensure safe and fair conditions for our workers!. I would like to implement weekly or monthly meetings with the workers on campus and with ASUCM to provide an opportunity to discuss their concerns. I am truly passionate about running for Senate, and I hope to bring change to our fantastic campus!

Hello, my name is Samuel Luna and I am running to be your next president. This past year I worked tirelessly to serve each and every one of you to ensure that your money and your school represented who we are as a campus. I worked to lower student fees as well as ensure that your money was used in the most effective way. As a senator I fought to give funding to both SHAA and Stem based clubs, and I am proud to say that my record indicates the same. In addition, I fought to give more funding to other branches such as CAB so that they could have more funds to provide students with a better experience on campus. As president I will make sure that your interest is always put first. From fighting to stop the increase in student fees to making sure that the cost of essential services, such as parking and food, does not continue to increase. Our campus is one of diverse race and cultures and that is what I believe makes us unique. Our next president should be someone who fights for everyone and that is exactly what I will do. I hope to be receiving your vote for president so that together we can make change, real change.

Hello there! My name is Elizabeth Meza Torres and I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to run for the position of ASUCM President for the incoming academic school year. I am a second-year double majoring in Political Science and Spanish and my lifetime goal is to become an Immigration Lawyer and be the voice for those who may not have the opportunity to speak; for those marginalized. I myself am a First Generation, Undocumented, older sister of four. I share these qualities about myself because they are part of my identity and they make me who I am and they have taught me that in life, there is no barrier that I won’t overcome. I was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, but have been living in Delano, CA since the age of 6. My parents risked their entire lives to give my siblings and I access to a life that they will never have, and their hard work is my motivation to strive in all that I do. Coming from a low-income farm working family has taught me to always be passionate, dedicated, and determined in all that I do. Spending my summer breaks waking up at 5am to work eight hours in 100-degree weather has showed me that my parents endure backbreaking labor just so I can access higher education and that will always be my fuel to make them proud in all that I do. Ever since I arrived to UCM, I have incorporated the same motivation towards my communities and continue empowering other students who, just like me, want a better future for themselves and for their families. My freshman year I was eager to become active on campus by joining various organizations that allowed me to grow as a leader such as Brown Issues, USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops), Labor Commission and other programs that helped me grow. One of the most powerful organizations that I took part in serving was UCSA (University of California Student Association). Through this organizations I had the privilege to lobby both locally and federally for the UC on funding for our campus 2020 project and SB 461, whose purpose is for students to be able to access summer financial aid for summer school. In addition, this year I have had the privilege to continue growing as a leader and have continued helping my community by serving as SSHA’s Senator. During my time in senate, I have worked on various concerns that have been addressed by our students such as hosting town halls to address issues with the pavilion, meeting with different Directors and Deans to address the lack of classes available to our students and the issue regarding the lack of assistance provided by our Academic Advisors. In addition, I have constantly held TAPS accountable regarding all student concerns. This year I had the privilege to serve the UCM community when I was chosen on the Student Advisory Committee in the selection of the new UC President. This position allowed me to speak on behalf of our University among other students from each UC. Overall, these positions have allowed me to not only to grow but also understand the issues that are impacting our university. An important revelation for me was our fantastic schools: it is imperative to showcase our Engineering innovation, support Scientific Discovery through the Natural Sciences, and uplift groundbreaking projects of SSHA. My goal as President is to represent my community as a whole, to be a resource to those who need it, and to hold those accountable for the issues that concern our students. My lifetime goal has always been to serve my community, and indeed all of you have incredible ideas and perspectives that I am eager to hear. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve you, so let’s take this first step together.

Hello Bobcats!

I am very eager to be running for External Vice-President of ASUCM! I am Jose Lopez, a third year Political Science and Sociology major. I have been involved in the External Office of ASUCM since my freshman year and currently serve as the Legislative Director. From within the External Office of ASUCM, I have learned valuable experience from former EVPs about their role and responsibilities. I am ready to address the many issues and concerns our campus has on a state-wide level as EVP.

Tuition Hike Prevention:

I have worked with the University of California Students Association (UCSA) these past two years alongside former ASUCM EVPs to prevent tuition hikes. Throughout this semester, I have lobbied and contacted our state representatives at the state capitol to ensure the UC Regents do not raise our tuition. As a first-generation student from a low-income family, I understand how tuition is a great obstacle and issue. My hope is to continue doing this work on a larger platform as EVP by attending the UC Board of Regents meetings to address these concerns.

Marginalized Student Recruitment and Resources:

Supporting historically marginalized communities throughout the UC system is of high importance to me. Alongside the EVPs and Legislative Directors from the other UC campuses, we have pushed our state senators and assembly-members to provide annual ongoing funding to these communities. We advocated for $23 million in funding to expand outreach and recruitment efforts in the UCs that target underserved communities. We also advocated for $20 million in ongoing funds to grant resources for foster youth, undocumented, and formerly incarcerated students amongst all UC campuses. As External Vice-President, I will keep advocating for these communities.

Student Awareness and Transparency:

The External Office of ASUCM deals with various student concerns that arise from external entities like the UC Board of Regents and UC Office of the President. I want to enforce extensive outreach to our campus community and inform our students about these concerns. If more students become aware and learn about key Issues, like tuition hikes being proposed by the UC Board of Regents, then more students will take action and have a larger impact. I want to provide information on how we can address and advocate for these issues.

My name is Virginia Manandeg, currently a second-year Computer Science and Engineering major and I am vying for the position of Director of Student Activities for the Associated Student of the University of California, Merced. Currently, I serve as the co-external affairs for the Homebound Urban Dance Team, the Vice President of Engineering for the Pilipinx-Americans in Sciences and Engineering (PASE), and a Marketing Co-Chair for the ASUCM Campus Activities Board (CAB). In these experiences, I have learned a great deal of how an effective community functions with the right leadership. With these, I learned that as a leader, one must be able to understand the community they are contending to.

Being a person with leadership experiences since elementary, I have garnered the skillset and the heart of what it means to be a leader. I strongly believe that it is very important that a leader must be able to attend to the community’s needs. For the UC Merced community, to be an effective Director of Student Activities would mean understanding the importance of what bringing the “home away from home” element is. If given the opportunity to be elected in this position, I believe I have the adequate gusto and decorum, as well as the ample experience to serve to the best of my abilities. If I were to be elected, I would find ingenious ways to implement programs that would allow students to enjoy their college life and to make it an experience they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

The Director of Student Activities serves to aid in the development and the organization in the execution of the ASUCM schoolwide campus events, outreach and cultural arts programs, along with being the head of CAB. My experience in being in the Campus Activities Board for the past year and a half has become essential in developing my knowledge and honing my technical skills in what goes beyond the different activities that students enjoy allowing them to seize the days they have as a UCM Bobcat. In addition to this, outside CAB, I have been able to serve for both outreach and cultural arts programs through teaching dance workshops to communities of different age ranges and creating guest speaker series to help my fellow Bobcats in their respective desired field. Through these outlets in which I have served in, I learned the value of communicating with a variety of people and understanding the idea behind putting people’s needs ahead of one’s own.

If given the opportunity to serve as Director of Student Activities, I can assure that the student body will be in good hands and that I will be bringing “home” as close to my fellow Bobcats’ hearts as possible. With vision, preparation, and action, I can fulfill the position of Director of Student Activities.

My name is Eliane Cabrera and I am running for Senate in the position of SSHA. I am a first-generation student who is currently a third year at the University of California, Merced. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California but moving to Merced was a college experience I needed that developed my mindset for better. Attending this University only made me want to shape myself to my best potential and meet my career goals while I’m giving back to my community that has now become a part of my home. I am majoring in Political Science with a minor in Management and Business Economics. I decided to pursue a career in the political science field due to my interest in law and immigration reform. I plan to become an immigration law attorney and work for the federal system in order to issue a reform on a lot of subjects in that matter. I may not have a lot of experience among student government like I did in my high school years, but I do hope to lead my University with a much more effective role apart from the clubs I’m currently involved in. As of my three years in UC Merced, I have been involved in quite a few clubs. The ones I am currently active on are clubs such as CAFE (Central Americans for Empowerment) where I hold a position as part of E-board in being the external chair of relations and club de español where do plan to become part of their E-board. For the upcoming school year, I do plan on giving myself new opportunities where I hope to branch out my options towards my career field in Political Science. Given my background and involvement my primary goal is to lift the voices of underrepresented students across campus to ensure equity and equality to all. Being elected will allow me to utilize my skills and bring solutions to salient problems that arise through student concerns. All in all, I want to see a much more transparent system among all of our peers from UC Merced that feel like they’re already part of our board of ASUCM without even needing to apply to become a part of it because everyone’s voice matters when building community.

Hi all! My name is Citlalli Gamino, currently a second year & sociology major. Last year I had the amazing opportunity to serve as your senator at-large and was able to help in tasks such as, host town hall meetings and pass bills from very diverse backgrounds that give back to every part of the community. Through this experience I believe I have acquired the right tools to serve as a senator for SSHA in the upcoming semester. During my two years here I have also been involved in ICC and Law Clinic and I always try my best to be helpful, patient, but most importantly a resource to the students who wish to voice their concerns. I am hoping to get re-elected into senate because I enjoy being able to give back to the community that has provided me with so many opportunities as well as working alongside students who have brought innovative ideas to life in this campus. Whenever making a decision to pass a bill or not I try to be as transparent as possible in my decision making and make sure I don’t only see both sides of the story but all, it is crucial to know who is being affected by the bill and to know that everyone who is being affected by it have voiced their concerns, it is imperative to put the students voices first because after all that is the only way to keep an efficient government. Thank you for your time and please reach out to me if you have any questions

Cgamino2@ucmerced.edu