GUIDE: Here are this year’s candidates for ASI Board of Directors

Sophia Gonzalez

Sophia Gonzalez is a liberal studies freshman and a current member of the ASI Executive Staff. Gonzalez’s platform emphasizes improving diversity by tying ASI closer to cultural centers and the Student Development and Belonging Center. She draws on her experience as ASB President in high school and current Vice President of Programming for the Yakʔitʸutʸu Community Board.

“I really want to work with [cultural groups] to make our diversity here something to be proud of…instead of students going out of their way to find those resources,” Gonzalez said.

Ginger O’Grady

Ginger O’Grady is a microbiology freshman, a member of the ASI Executive Staff and an ambassador for the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics. Her main goal is to increase transparency between students and faculty by using polling and surveys to act as a “vessel” for student opinion. O’Grady credits her involvement in the Cal Poly Line Dancing Club and the Cal Poly Equestrian Team with helping her gather peer feedback.

“Sometimes it feels like there’s a disconnect…[the Board of Directors is] merely the vessels for the opinion of the students too,” O’Grady said.

Alli Aguiar

Alli Aguiar is an agricultural communications freshman with experience as president of her Future Farmers of America chapter. Aguiar, who is running under the slogan “Sprouting for CAFES.” Aguiar advocates for better maintenance of the aging Alan A. Erhart Agriculture (Building 10) building. Aguiar also proposes selling Cal Poly-made products in dining halls, like Cal Poly Creamery’s ice cream and the Food Science and Nutrition Department’s student-made chocolates, so that students can support Cal Poly-made food using their dining dollars.

“I think coming up with ideas that are reasonable for all parties involved, but do make tangible change, where students actually are feeling the change in their daily lives. That’s the best way to balance what students want but also make it so that the corporate partners can actually agree to it,” Aguiar said.

Jenesis De Jesus

Jenesis De Jesus is an environmental management and protection freshman, with high school leadership experience as ASB President and Treasurer. Her platform focuses on increasing dedicated common spaces for CAFES students, improving internal communication within the large college, and increasing the accessibility of campus markets for students without cars.

“I believe you can’t fully serve in Cal Poly corporate or any kind of head leadership if you are unable to make sure students feel that they have someone to advocate for them,” De Jesus said.

Liz Quintero

Liz Quintero is an agricultural communications freshman, an ambassador for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and a member of Latinos in Agriculture. Quintero, along with Aguiar and Hanna Birdsong, who wasn’t available for comment at Media Day, is running under the “Sprouting for CAFES” campaign. Quintero focuses on protecting agricultural lands for “Learn by Doing” opportunities and serving as a communicative link for both San Luis Obispo and Solano students during the Maritime integration and semester conversion.

“[Ally, Hannah, and I] serve as CAFES ambassadors, and we’re able to help lead tours and show the future Mustangs around our college and show them what Cal Poly is all about,” Quintero said. “I think those experiences, those first-time experiences with students and people living that college experience is what allows us to gain information and then again turn around and serve as advocates.”

Olivia Short

Olivia Short is an environmental management and protection junior and this year’s ASI Secretary of Health and Wellbeing. Short has already served one term on the CAFES Board of Directors. Short’s priorities include integrating online therapy, through websites like TimelyCare, to address what she calls San Luis Obispo’s “healthcare desert.” Additionally, Short aims to ensure that engineering-heavy majors in CAFES, such as BioResource and Agricultural Engineering students, are not affected by the semester conversion.

“I feel very comfortable with the ASI corporate side, making sure we still have enough money to run our program…while still advocating for students,” Short said.

Jack Flath

Jack Flath, a electrical engineering freshman, is focused on sharing upperclassmen’s knowledge with underclassmen, whom he sees as increasingly challenged. 

“I think things like mentorship should be available within the college of engineering,” said Flath. “I’ve had friends literally cry their eyes out to me about failing calc and physic and they’re like ‘I don’t know what to do!’” 

He believes upperclassman mentorship programs can help his fellow engineering students. On top of managing their workload, he hopes this can help them register for classes, attend careers fairs and find professional opportunities. 

“I was the first in my family to go away to college,” said Flath. “My family never dealt with this stuff, and I had to figure it out from people in my fraternity who are older than me.”

If elected, Flath would use his experience in his engineering fraternity, Sigma Phi Delta, and on the ASI executive staff to find underclassmen their mentors.

Diego Pardo

Mental health is the first priority for Diego Pardo, an electrical engineering freshman who serves on the Inner Housing Council and has an associate’s degree.

“What I’ve seen as an engineering student is that there’s a lot of students dealing with things and stress they don’t want to talk about,” said Pardo.

Pardo wants to improve engineering students’ mental health by providing counseling and alleviating challenges.

Pardo sees class registration as the biggest challenge for him and his fellow students. Pardo has gone to the Mustang Success Center, but he didn’t feel it helped enough. So, he wants to reform it to better guide engineering students.

“I have a lot of challenges with getting into classes because I meet certain prerequisites that other freshmen don’t. But when I get advised by Mustang Success Center, it doesn’t help,” said Pardo.

Anahi Ramos

Anahi Ramos, a mechanical engineering freshman, has two priorities: creating more hands-on experiences for underclassmen and furthering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Ramos wants to create more hands-on learning experiences for underclassmen because she feels those are lacking in her first year here. 

“I’ve never really had experiences with labs. So, I feel like that’s an experience that every first year has gone through in the college of engineering,” said Ramos.

She also wants to further DEI initiatives because she believes students from differing backgrounds can improve the college.

“Different perspectives and experiences are incredibly important to innovation in general,” said Ramos.

To accomplish these goals, Ramos wants to bridge gaps among multicultural groups on campus, such as the Multicultural Engineering Program and the Equal Opportunity Program, and the College of Engineering. That way, more voices can be heard, and more hands-on work opportunities can be shared.

Nimisha Thakur

Nimisha Thakur, a software engineering sophomore, described the class requirements for her and her fellow engineering students as “difficult.” 

“Engineers only have a set number of classes that they can take per quarter in semester, and if they are unable to get those classes, then it becomes really difficult to complete that set degree on time.”

She wants to simplify it by using her previous experiences to bring student voices to President Armstrong. Thakur is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Theta Tau (a co-ed engineering fraternity) and the ASI Board of Directors. She believes this gives her the necessary knowledge of both ASI and the College of Engineers to serve effectively.

“I think it’s really important to bring back candidates who have experience in the boardroom and know how to help younger candidates who are going to eventually fill those positions,” said Thakur.

Thakur pledges to continue showing up prepared for meetings in order to act on the voices of her fellow engineers.

Tiffany Chau

Tiffany Chau, a business administration junior with a concentration in finance, recognizes that ASI has a lot to offer students. She wants to make sure her fellow students can take advantage of the resources it provides.

“I want to be able to make sure that students are heard within the college, and that they have, they can get the resources that they need to better support them,” Chau said.

Additionally, she wants to support DEI initiatives and make housing more manageable for students. Chau believes her previous student government experiences in high school make her qualified to hear and support her fellow students.

“I make sure to take stances in what I believe in, and I also make sure that my ideas help benefit everyone and collaborate with the team, you could. Initiatives aren’t just passed by me alone. It’s a team effort to make sure that everyone has a stay,” Chau said.

Tommy Fewel

Tommy Fewel, a business administration freshman with a concentration in marketing, feels he can take the information and the input from his fellow students to make effective change. 

“I’m very personable, so people can come to me very easily, and I can talk to them and allow them to speak their truth,” said Fewel.

Fewel also wants to increase transparency and understanding among students of ASI through feedback forums and surveys. He said that there is a lot that ASI does that students should know more about, using ASI’s grocery shuttle as an example.

“I believe that a lot of people don’t actually know how big of an impact the board of directors makes on campus and how they get things done, such as the shuttle that just happened for grocery stores, and I don’t think people know that that’s how big of an impact they can have and that they can make decisions,” Fewel said.

Sophia Gutierrez

Running for reelection to represent OCOB is Sophia Gutierrez, a business administration accounting junior. She believes her experience gives her a unique understanding of the position.

“As an incumbent, I have an understanding of how ASI works, how the board works, and what it takes to be a leader inside the boardroom,” said Gutieriez.

Gutierrez, who is also the club funding liaison to the business and finance committee, wants to ensure student clubs are fully funded so that students can “find hobbies that they enjoy” and “find people that they connect with.”

Gutierrez believes that OCOB has been underrepresented in ASI. So, she wants to “reconstruct” the student advisory council so that students can “get a foot in the door” with the dean’s decisions.

“I want to make sure that OCOB students know that they have a voice, “ said Gutierrez.

Alan Ko

Alan Ko, a business administration freshman, is focussed on keeping his college informed on student government.

“There’s a bunch of issues that ASI have been addressing, especially just with the amount of initiatives that’s happening. A lot of people don’t know what’s going on,” said Ko.

By using the ASI website, Ko wants to keep students informed on ASI actions that impact students. He feels this is especially important to address the impact of Artificial Intelligence on future jobs for OCOB students.

Additionally, he is a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, a sorority sweetheart, a writer for Mustang News and a first-generation college student. He believes this makes him attuned to “a wide orbit of voices and concerns”.

“There’s a lot of struggles that people who aren’t first generation don’t really understand. I bring those perspectives to the table,” said Ko.

Justin Szeto

Justin Szeto, an economics freshman, serves as the Vice President of Operations for the Ytt community. He believes this gives him the experience necessary to hear and take action from the feedback of his fellow OCOB students.

“My priorities are more so not representing myself, but representing other students,” said Szeto.

By publishing articles in students’ newsletters, he thinks it can “bring attention to more directly” and better inform students of the inner workings of ASI. He recognizes that student government can be confusing to keep track of. 

“I think being able to simplify that and present that in a more accessible way for students, that’s one of my biggest things,” said Szeto.

He also plans to meet with campus clubs and hear their concerns. With all of this, Szeto believes there can be more understanding and transparency for ASI.

Diego Castillo

Diego Castillo, a political science freshman, is running to be a CLA representative to make a difference in people’s lives. His platform surrounds issues such as adding improvements to Cal Poly’s recreational center by creating an outdoor gym, expanding dining all hours and expanding transportation options for students without cars who want to explore San Luis Obispo. 

“I’ve gotten involved and been really passionate about politics because it’s the most tangible way to make change in people’s lives,” Castillo said. “I want to do that at this school, improve the lives of people here, and make Cal Poly a better place.” 

Castillo specifically wants to increase the locations that Mustang Shuttle goes to so students, especially first-years, can access hiking trails and local beaches. He also wants to add shuttle routes to the airport and train station.  

Along with that, Castillo wants to improve communication between administration and the study body. An idea he had, if elected, is to run a social media page which acts as a more accessible way for students to understand what the Cal Poly administration is doing on campus and voice their opinions. 

“I think if [the student body] has easy access to us as the board of directors, it’s easier access for them to get their voices heard by the administration,” Castillo said.

Hudson Kammerer

Hudson Kammerer, a political science junior, currently serves as one of the CLA representatives. He wants to improve CLA opportunities, specifically at the job fair, administrative transparency for students and providing students resources to fulfill their basic needs. 

“There are a lot of decisions that have been made and are going to be made.  For instance, the installation of surveillance cameras on campus, transition from quarter to semesters and even a transition to a year round system,” Kammerer said. “And, I want to ensure CLA students have a seat at the table.”

Kammerer believes most issues on campus stem from a lack of communication between Cal Poly and the student body. Currently, he is writing a resolution which proposes a transparency criteria that campuses must follow when they make decisions that affect Cal Poly students and take in student input. This resolution covers student issues like housing costs, adding infrastructure and installation of data collecting devices. 

Kammerer noted that he felt the negative student reaction to flock cameras being used on campus could have been avoided if the implementation was better communicated. 

“I think a lot of the stress and outrage from the situation probably could have been avoided if there was actual communication and an actual rule to follow of” “this is when you need to tell students,” “you need to be open to feedback for students,”” he said.

Some of the criteria would include Cal Poly notifying students of construction 30 days before it starts and the school being upfront with contractors they are working with.

Addison Mae Godfrey

Addison Mae Godfrey, a political science freshman, decided she wanted to run for CLA representative so she could be a facilitator between students and staff. 

“Sometimes it can be really difficult to know where to start in terms of voicing your opinion or what can be done,” Godfrey said. “I think that if I were elected, I would use the position to try to represent the student bodies.”

Godfrey’s main issues are focusing on improving basic facilities through better water sanitation and light maintenance and providing more opportunities for CLA students such as researching positions and expanding study abroad options. If elected, Godfrey wants to focus on conducting academic research and hosting open forums for students to pass initiatives that target student needs. 

She noted that hosting open forums would be something she would prioritize in her first semester on the board of directors, if elected. 

“It’s beyond just involving yourself in student life, but you have to endorse yourself with the current wants and demands of students,” Godfrey said.

Elliott Halcon

Elliott Halcon, a political science sophomore, wants to solve CLA specific issues while also improving the school as a whole. He wants to look into lengthening operating hours for the library, bettering communication about semester conversion and continuing conversations around the presence of flock cameras on campus. 

“I think there’s a lot of great things [Cal Poly] does, but there’s areas for improvement,” Halcon said.” I saw those areas and I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines.”

If elected, Halcon plans to gather polling data and potentially write a resolution allowing access to more floors of the library, especially during midterms and finals. Halcon said he wants to implement this as soon as he gets elected. 

“That’s going to be something that kicks off very quick and gets off the ground,” he said. “So when students need it in midterms and finals that it’s already there.”

Halcon wants to communicate with students through “meeting them where they are at” and making an effort to hear everyone’s voice. 

 There’s things I might disagree with, but at the end of the day we’re here to represent them fully,” he said. “Whether they agree with us on a political divide or they disagree with us.”

Josiah Staley

Josiah Staley, a political science freshman, primarily wants to focus on increasing healthy eating options on campus. 

“I know Cal Poly is great but I definitely know it can be better,” Staley said. “These little frustrating things like unhealthy food options or not being able to get anywhere because there is little transportation.” 

He noted that he believes Vista Grande and 1901 currently don’t provide many healthy options. Staley is currently on the ASI executive staff, a program that helps create initiatives and advocate for students on the campus. He said the relationships he has built with campus dining staff will help him further his goal to get healthier foods on campus.

Staley also wants to increase outreach for CLA students so they are more aware of what opportunities are available to them. He plans to reach students and hear their needs through boothing on campus.

Sam Katz

Sam Katz, a city and regional sophomore, decided to run for CAED representative because she noticed a disconnect between CAED and ASI. 

“I was hoping as a member of the board of directors I could serve as a line of communication for our students to be able to ask for things they need,” Katz said. 

Katz wants to focus on better supporting CAED students through providing lockers for them to store studio supplies, improvements on balancing CAED workload and controlling the temperature in studio labs. 

Katz noted that one of the unique things about CAED is the amount of time they spend in labs and on niche projects.  

“I think it’s really important to recognize CAED’s unique courseload that makes it difficult for students to properly dedicate time to classes that aren’t directly related to their major,” she said. “I think it is important we open up those paths of communicate so they can be like “hey we’re struggling.””

Katz added that she believes it is most important for CAED students to feel like they can access and speak with their representative in an accessible way. 

“I think just making sure that not only to our own departments, but to everyone in CAED that we’re seen as equals and as someone they can come to talk to about anything,” she said.

Benjamin Muro

Benjamin Muro, a city and regional regional planning freshman, wants to create change through addressing problems he heard around campus. His main issues to focus on are increasing the dining hours on campus and better connecting CAED clubs to ASI.

“You’re just an advocate for the student body, you’re not an individual trying to do something. You’re representing a plethora of people,” Muro said. 

If elected, Muro wants to first tackle the biking infrastructure at Cal Poly. He wants to repaint or add bike lanes and find more for students to get around on their bike safely.

“A lot of the time we see that [bikers] are either right next to cars or right next to pedestrians, which makes it unsafe for everyone, in a sense,” Muro said.

Muro noted he plans to utilize the small class sizes and close-knit CAED community will help him communicate with professors and students as an ASI board candidate.

Stone Ramage

Stone Ramage, a architectural engineering sophomore, currently serves as a CAED representative on the ASI board of directors. Currently, he is working on legislation that works to document and measure the changes Cal Poly is going through, such as semester conversion and integrating Cal Poly Maritime, in order to control the unexpected consequences of these decisions for students.

“I think a lot of issues always boil down, at some point, just to communication,” Ramage said. “So just ensuring that is  the highest priority in anything that we do would be super important for me,”

 If elected for his next term, he wants to focus on expanding food resources and transportation services for students who are on campus late into the evening. 

Ramage added he wants to explore creative and new ways to solve and address students issues and communicate with. He plans to further work with CAED professors and students to hear their voices on what they need from ASI.