Meet your 2024 ASI Candidates

Mustang News sat down with over 20 candidates running for both the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Board of Directors and president during the 2024 ASI Media Day.

Active campaigning for presidential and Board of Directors candidates begins on Saturday at 5 p.m. This article provides an opportunity to learn more about each candidate and their mission statements.

To help guide your decision-making process, Mustang News created an interactive quiz to determine which presidential candidate best aligns with your views.

Presidential candidates

Scott Drouin
Scott Drouin is a political science sophomore who is actively serving on the ASI Board of Directors for the College of Liberal Arts. In his role this year, Drouin advocated for equity in the election process and co-authored a resolution to expand the Cal Poly Transfer Center. Drouin’s platform for presidency is based on a “students now” approach.

“My big message is ‘students now,’ [because] whenever we meet with campus administration we’re always talking ten years in the future,” Drouin said. “[I want to ensure that] us students here and now are being accommodated and are getting the resources we need to succeed.”

Drouin’s most important policies are improving study spaces, parking, lighting, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programming and club services.

Julian (JT) Hernandez
JT Hernandez is a sociology junior. As a transfer student, Hernandez’s campaign focuses on increasing the amount of information available to students, especially to freshmen and transfer students.

“A lot of people don’t know what ASI is and it really plays a huge part in their campus experience,” he said. “My goal, which ultimately I think will help with a lot of problems, is just bringing in more voices, letting those voices that don’t even know they have a voice to be heard.”

Hernandez plans to improve parking, increase student feedback and establish inclusivity between ASI representatives and students.

Jordan Schleifer
Jordan Schleifer is a political science and interdisciplinary studies senior. With experience as a political advocate lobbying at the California state legislature and the perspective of a transfer student, Schleifer hopes to make Cal Poly feel welcoming to all.

“I think the students deserve the best advocacy [and] the best representative they can get,” Schleifer said. “Who am I to demand better if I’m not willing to put myself on that slate?”

To learn more about the needs of students, Schleifer created a spreadsheet of student feedback and provided his proposed solutions. He is passionate about improving study spaces, late-night food options and parking.

Ashleigh Spragins
Ashleigh Spragins is a business administration sophomore who is currently serving on the ASI Board of Directors for the Orfalea College of Business. On the Board of Directors, she worked to improve mental health policies, expand on-campus study hours and raise funding for the Mustang Shuttle. Spragins’ candidacy for ASI president centers around supporting clubs and student organizations on campus in order to increase overall student engagement.

“I really have specific goals to support clubs and student organizations on campus,” she said. “I want to make funding equitable as it’s not equitable to all clubs right now. I also want to increase funding which increases overall student engagement.”

Spragins is passionate about improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, on-campus parking, ASI transparency and club involvement.

Marlena Deleeuw (write-in)
Marlena Deleeuw is a business administration junior and served as the ASI secretary of internal affairs as a sophomore. In that role, Deleeuw promoted student engagement, developed projects with Safer, and oversaw the ASI executive cabinet. Deleeuw’s presidential campaign is centered around creating a more positive campus community.

“I really want to make sure that everyone on campus has a place where they can go to and feel like they’re part of a community,” Deleeuw said. “[I want to focus] on fostering community in our campus life and advocate for students [by asking them] what kind of change they want to see on campus.”

Deleeuw is passionate about improving access to club resources, promoting sustainability initiatives and increasing student input.

ASI Board of Directors

College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences

Reagan Denny
Reagan Denny, a fire resource and agricultural engineering sophomore, wants to keep agriculture at the forefront of Cal Poly.

“In the past year on the Board [of Directors], I’ve continued to advocate for California’s agricultural land and [ensure] that we don’t build over it,” Denny said. “Parking lots are important. Agriculture is more important.”

As the current Chair for External Affairs, Denny has focused on increasing voter registration and civic engagement. If elected again, she plans to continue advocating for increased voter registration and represent the agricultural community on campus.

Garret Gomes
Agricultural communications freshman Garret Gomes believes that “everyone has a seat at the table” when it comes to important decision-making in CAFES.

“We have to ensure we’re protecting our land and the opportunities that we have here at Cal Poly for future generations,” Gomes said. “It takes all of us to ensure the success of this college.”

Gomes hopes to promote unity and represent the shared values of the agricultural community on campus.

Morgan Oliveira
Hailing from the rural community of Hilmar, California, agricultural communications freshman Morgan Oliveira came to Cal Poly with a desire for advocacy.

“Being born and raised in agriculture, I’ve always held a passion and motivation for its industry,” she said.

Oliveira’s campaign prioritizes creating new opportunities for agriculture students’ professional and personal growth.

Olivia Short
Sustainability and accessibility are at the top of the priority list for environmental management and protection freshman Olivia Short.

“I would like to make the campus better for people who are not able-bodied,” Short said. “I want to help them create more initiatives to make accessibility better.”

Currently a CAFES board member, Short plans to continue existing projects to create community gardens, plant trees on campus and improve the on-campus composting system.

College of Liberal Arts

Giovanni Albarez
CLA is often misrepresented at Cal Poly according to political science freshman Giovanni Albarez, and he wants to help fix that.

“The majors in CLA are some of the most important ones in ensuring the well-being of society in the future, so having a clear voice is crucial for addressing these issues,” Albarez said.

Albarez said that he wants to help implement more diversity resources, especially for other first-generation students like himself.

Mason Ambrosio
Journalism freshman Mason Ambrosio was inspired to run when he noticed a lack of variety in majors represented by the College of Liberal Arts board.

“I felt like that can kind of make it challenging to get all the voices of the students,” Ambrosio said. “So, I want to be serving something that’s representative for them.”

DEI principles and student input are at the forefront of his campaign.

Alyson Engel
Seeking a second term as a CLA representative for the Board of Directors, political science sophomore Alyson Engel has career readiness and DEI initiatives at the center of her campaign.

“There are a lot of career fairs and resume building classes built into [STEM students’] schedules, but we’ve noticed recently [that] CLA has been lacking a little bit,” Engel said. “Next year, I want to help that get off the ground and make sure that CLA [has] the same type of
networking and career preparedness events that all the other colleges do.”

On the Board of Directors this year, Engel focused on promoting voter registration initiatives and events where students could speak with local government candidates.

Maya Fornera
In her first year at Cal Poly, history freshman Maya Fornera felt isolated from the campus community. Next year, she plans to change that.

“I really want to make [community] a priority [by] being on the Board of Directors,” Fornera said. “[I want] to get freshmen more interconnected with campus in terms of making activities and clubs more available to them, and then also just [make] campus life as easy as possible for students.”

Fornera hopes to better campus transportation by improving parking and bike locker accessibility.

Emma Hunt
Student success, both academically and socially, is the priority for political science freshman Emma Hunt.

“It can be hard to cultivate a community where you feel like you belong, especially for freshmen,” she said.

Hunt intends to extend the hours of more campus facilities to ensure there is enough space for students’ late-night study sessions. She also has ideas on how to improve Week of Welcome activities in order to increase student participation.

Katelyn Nightengale
Communications sophomore Katelyn Nightengale brings executive board experience from her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, and a desire to serve the community to her campaign.

“Coming to college can be so transformative, but I think students feel a disconnect between the change that they want, and how to enact it,” Nightengale said.

Her main focuses include mental health resources and sustainability and increasing communication between students and administration to make these changes happen.

Tanner Schinderle
Political science freshman Tanner Schinderle leads his campaign with DEI principles, a passion for mental health resources and a desire to promote belongingness.

“I have always been community-driven first. Supporting and uplifting those around me have always been my passion,” he said.

Schinderle plans to find ways to increase funding for clubs and student groups on campus.

Orfalea College of Business

Trent Counter
Business administration freshman Trent Counter is focused on enhancing student services in his candidacy.

“[I] want to best represent the students of OCOB and I want to improve certain student services if I get elected, such as transportation, parking, and places to study,” Counter said.

Noah Cohen Garcia
For business administration freshman Noah Cohen Garcia, his platform centers around one word: community.

“As a person of color, I remember when first coming to Cal Poly and looking online that people of color were worried they would be discriminated against at our school,” he said. “I want to work with the ASI Board of Directors to develop programs to make sure everyone feels included and as a part of this community as possible.”

Alexis Kong
Business administration sophomore Alexis Kong is passionate about building an inclusive and supportive environment for students.

“I want to really foster positive connections between students and their representatives so they know who to turn to and focus on issues like mental health considerations and increasing funding,” Kong said.

As the social media liaison and an OCOB representative on the Board of Directors this year, Kong has served as a voice for students so they feel supported by OCOB and Cal Poly.

Chloe Tolchinsky
Business administration junior Chloe Tolchinsky is prioritizing fairness and accessibility in her candidacy.

“For me, I want to get involved with ASI to open up opportunities for anyone in OCOB [in order] to [create] equality and equity in our college and for future jobs and career opportunities,” she said. “I also want to [be] a resource for students to reach out if they have any questions or need help.”

Tolchinsky intends to help ASI become more accessible and involved in students’ campus experiences.

College of Engineering

Ava Marino
Biomedical engineering sophomore Ava Marino intends to create a stronger sense of belonging throughout her college and the campus as a whole.

“It can be very isolating coming into college and not really knowing where we belong or what to do, so I’d like to amplify our campus and college-specific events,” Marino said.

Marino is also passionate about improving relationships between the City of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly students.

Weston Patrick
Computer science freshman Weston Patrick intends to better the engineering community and all of Cal Poly by improving academic advising, adding more on-campus study spaces and enhancing campus-wide community events.

“I want to improve our sense of community by increasing events that we can all experience together, such as the Dayglow concert, therapy dogs on campus, and other events that bring both the College of Engineering and Cal Poly as a whole, together,” he said.

Ethan Robin
Transparency, diversity and accountability are the priorities of computer engineering junior Ethan Robin.

“Nothing should be hidden from students,” Robin said. “I really want to see that so that we can have better student-university relations.”

Robin wants to create programs that keep students in the loop about possible campus happenings and disruptions in order to better daily student life.

Aiden Smith
For computer science junior Aiden Smith, his primary focus in his campaign is creating better funding for clubs such as the esports club.

“We have a big gaming population on campus but we don’t really have any infrastructure,” Smith said. “Like a lot of clubs right now we’re trying to further enhance our club, and all of that banks on making it easier for clubs to have access to university spaces and funding.”

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Jack Nguyen
Architecture freshman Jack Nguyen understands the busy schedule of projects and studio sessions always happening in the architecture community.

“Not everyone has time for this, so I want to be the person who you can come to and talk about issues that can be brought up to the Board [of Directors],” Nguyen said.

As an international student, Nguyen said DEI initiatives are a priority to ensure students from different backgrounds feel fairly represented. He encourages anyone with input or questions to reach out on Instagram through his personal account @jackthemlits.

Aaron Posternack
Aaron Posternack is a city and regional planning junior with a passion for improved transportation and mental health advocacy.

“Maybe people don’t want to speak about [mental health] because they don’t feel like it’s the right place to talk about it,” he said. “I would like to help with making a bigger awareness of it, and most importantly, being able to implement solutions.”

If re-elected, Posternack wants to improve cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure to ensure the safety of all students on campus.

Clark Stafford
Architectural engineering freshman Clark Stafford wants to ensure students feel safe on their walks back from the Dexter Lawn studios.

“A lot of people are spending late nights there [and] I’ve heard a lot of concerns that they don’t feel necessarily safe enough, so that’s definitely one of my biggest priorities,” Stafford said.

Stafford encourages students to approach him on campus for a free laser-printed pencil with his campaign slogan and message his Instagram @putthemarknextoclark with any questions.

Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

Joe Fewel
Biology sophomore Joe Fewel is passionate about student access to on-campus services, programs and facilities.

“ I am dedicated to representing the diverse needs of our student body and advocating for a campus community that is both supportive and forward-thinking,” Fewel said.

Fewel is a current board member who prioritizes campus inclusivity and innovation at Cal Poly.

Visruth Kandali
Statistics freshman Visruth Kandali understands the conflict between enjoying Cal Poly and the fears that come with attending a predominantly white institution.

“A student shouldn’t have to ask, ‘Will I fit in [at] this college? Will I feel accepted?’ That’s not something that anyone should ever have to worry about,” he said.

Kandali plans to prioritize student outreach to a variety of voices to ensure equal representation in decision-making and event planning.

Voting for the ASI Board of Directors and ASI President will remain open from April 23 at 8 a.m. to April 25 at 8 a.m. ASI is hosting a Candidate Meet and Greet in the UU on April 22 at 11 a.m., where students can speak with this year’s candidates in person.

Although all candidates received an invitation to ASI’s Media Day Event, not all candidates who will appear on the ballot attended the event. Mustang News reached out via email to all those who were not present for an opportunity to comment. This is a developing story as candidates who did not attend share their mission statements with Mustang News.