2nd year, Business and Management Economics major, Political Science minor, Business Society: External Relations Officer

How is your year going fellow bobcat? My name is Jonathan Lopez, a second-year Management Business and Economics major with a minor in Political Science. This school is so different from where I grew up ( Los Angeles) but it does not mean I haven’t grown fond of it. I am currently serving as the External Relations Officer for Business Society. My role and experience with this club had lead to me executing community outreach and working with local businesses. Throughout my time there I l have learned many skills that can help me succeed as Senator. I am always seeking ways to help our community and students, this position puts me in the right place to achieve this goal. As a senator, I would like to encourage more student entrepreneurship by exposing our students to resources such as the Venture Lab. The Venture Lab is a great resource for helping students navigate their way in creating their own businesses and making their ideas a reality. Another goal that I have as a senator is to promote more community engagement as students and clubs. I think we should make it mandatory for clubs to host some community event such as food drives, helping homeless shelter,etc., the possibilities are endless. The reason I advocate this is because as my time working with local businesses I found many issues with the city. As students, we should be held accountable for making not only the UC better but the community around it. Merced is our hometown and we are grateful for what they have provided but now it is time to give back. For years I have dedicated my time to helping others in my community and if elected as Senate at Large I will continue to do so. The students are the voice I want to hear and help, together you and I will make UC Merced grow.

1 year, Political Science major, ASUCM Senator At-Large, Chief of Staff: Senator Ascencio, Chairman of Law Clinic

My name is Jason Braun and I am truly honored to be running for the position of the ASUCM Senate. I am a first-year Political Science major with aspirations to be a specialized patent lawyer against pharmaceutical companies, protecting ordinary citizens’ life-saving ideas from the greedy corporate industries that have a monopoly over medicine.  I come from a traditional low-income family that strives to install the concepts of determination, pragmatism, and gratitude in me. These three pillars helped guide me in the formulation of my platform.  Ever since I arrived at UCM I have been determined to give back to the community that has assisted me with financial support.  I was the Interclub Council Treasurer, we allocated funds to clubs so that they may have fantastic events on campus.  I was also the former chief of staff for Senator Ascencio, she proved to be an invaluable mentor of mine and under her welcoming tutelage I learned the interworking’s of ASUCM (especially the procedures that Senators undergo during meetings as well as inspirations for programs that will help benefit the student body) and as a result I am quite well versed in the bylaws of ASUCM.   I’m also a current Senator-at-Large, with aspirations to be re-elected.  During my spring term in ASUCM I altered bylaws to improve the internal mechanisms of ASUCM. I have been appointed as Chairman of the Law Clinic, to which I shall incorporate into my platform as Senator if re-elected.  I aim for the Law Clinic to provide legal advice as well as legal connections to students free of charge, while also being a valuable educational tool that teaches pragmatic life lessons not normally taught at school such as taxes, mortgages, dealing with pesky landlords, credit score, etc.  As mentioned, I am a Freshman, and I have noticed that 1st years currently do not have representation in the Senate, I strongly believe that 1st years also have innovative ideas and voices that need to be heard, so I strive to be that bridge between the classes and student government not only for first-years, but for all years. One of the beautiful aspects of UCM is our diversity, therefore I want to enhance that by implementing a more cultural-inclusive policy, I shall be reaching out to cultural clubs and organizations to sponsor their events and represent their perspectives in the Senate.  Although I may be a political science major, I have noticed that Engineering majors have been significantly underrepresented in the Senate, so I shall reach out to Engineering clubs and organizations to have a better understanding of their projects so that I may advocate their voices and ideas in Senate efficiently.  I love to chat with my constituents, so if you see me, please stop me in the middle of the street and ask me questions regarding student government, clubs and organizations, and recipes! I am a resource for the student body of the University of California, Merced and I am ready to serve you.    

2rd year, Political Science major

Esteemed Bobcats,

My name is Arturo Martinez and I am a second-year Political Science major. My passion to stop injustices and those who commit them fuels my desire to become a politician. If given the opportunity to be one of the Senators at Large I would like to set a precedent to assist students of all creeds. I would do so by supporting clubs and organizations by providing resources such as funding to ensure that their events are successful and benefit the campus. Secondly, I would work towards ensuring that there are enough resources to accommodate the growing student population. A primary objective of mine would be to focus on Mental Health and Health & Wellness. Through this collaboration, I am hoping to ensure that access to the on-campus Counseling and Psychological Services “CAPS” increases and that students have easier access to health resources on campus.

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Since we are a diverse campus, it is crucial to foster an environment that promotes progressive and inclusive thinking. Meeting the various needs of our diverse student population is one of my main priorities. Within the position, I will strive to be honest and transparent with the student body and other ASUCM elected officials in order to serve the campus to the best of my ability.

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To mimic the speech President John F. Kennedy’s gave at his inauguration, “Ask not what your university can do for you, but what you can do for your university”. If elected I will do whatever I can to ensure that I serve the student body and positively to our beloved University.

3rd year, Management and Business Economics, ASUCM Senator At-Large, Alpha Kappa Psi

Hello! How are you? My name is Jessica Celestino and I would enjoy serving as your Senator at
Large! I am a third year majoring in Management and Business Economics. With my degree, I
aspire to be a school district budget and finance director in order to address budget disparities
in schools specifically in impoverished neighborhoods. As a third year at UC Merced, I have had
time to observe the community's strengths as well as its weaknesses. By being a Senator I
would like to build off of the two, to build a stronger sense of community and pride by being a
resource and advocate. As well as addressing our communication issues on campus. My
platform as Senator includes building on the current structure of Senate and creating a more
clear line of communication between students and ASUCM, more communication would allow
students to trust that their student representatives are acting in their best interest. As well as
facilitating more communication between RCO’s and Senate to ensure unbiased representation
and advocation. In my experience at UC Merced in the past three years, I have learned that
many students are actually unaware of the kinds of bills, resolutions and Senate actions that
have been created throughout the years. This has created a sense of exclusiveness rather than
inclusiveness, instead of students feeling represented they feel as if there is a personal bias
against organizations and communities that don't allow them to feel equally represented
within ASUCM. I want to address this issue by creating transparency, through campus outreach
and being involved with various organizations and communities. I want to revitalize the current
definition of advocacy through accountability, ensuring that Student Advocacy is truly interactive
so that communities can see Student Advocacy as a resource. As a student representative, I
want ASUCM to be your platform, I want to act as a bridge and be the resource that assists you
in having your needs and demands heard. A representative should be attentive to represent.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about me.

1st year, Political Science/Critical Race and Ethnic Studies major

Hello everyone, my name is Mario Vasquez Garcia and I’m from Petaluma California. I am a first year studying Political Science and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies.

In my free time, I enjoy exploring new places, going on hikes and watching The Office. 

If elected I hope to get the student body more aware and involved in the needs of our campus. I wish to improve our campus community, student advocacy, representation, and outreach. I would also like to get all of our diverse communities across campus involved in order to have their voices heard and necessary resources. 

Thank you and GO BOBCATS!

2nd year, Political Science major, ASUCM XO: Legislative/Organizing dept. SLATE: HDC

My name is Harriet Torres, second year, political science major and I am from Los Angeles (Southcentral). I am a part of the External office of ASUCM working alongside the legislative director and organizing director. Our work involves lobbying, organizing, networking, and so much more.  My goal is to one day go to law school and hopefully become a future lawyer. In addition, I am part of Hermanas Unidas and our pillars are based on academics, social networking, and community service which are good skills I have developed through being involved which I hope to bring to UC Merced. 

3rd year, Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Human Biology, ICC Delagate, Business Society: Research and Development Officer, Student Assistant in Vice Chancellor's Office for Student Affairs

Hello Bobcats! My name is Jacqueline Rubio and I am running for Senate-At-Large. Just a little about myself, I am a third year majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Human Biology. My goal after graduating is to attend medical school and to pursue a career as a pediatrician working in underserved areas around the Central Valley.  I am currently an ICC delegate, which is what has motivated me to run for this position. I am also currently the Research and Development Officer for Business Society here at UC Merced, where my department and I focus on the innovation and betterment of the society and its members. Lastly, I work as a student assistant in the office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Running for this position I hope to be a resource for students here at UC Merced, I am open to hearing out all opinions and I am very passionate about giving back to my community. Being a third year here at UC Merced, I have had my fair share of experiences and have witnessed many others. If elected I would like to work on some issues I have seen most commonly throughout my three years here, such as food security issues for those living on and off campus, food options on campus, finding off-campus housing, library hours, and expanding library quite spaces. Of all of these issues, one I know I would like to focus on is the various food security issues our students face. A goal of mine would be to establish a food pantry here on campus, if not now in the years to come.  As a senator, I would like to be able to work with the school, to provide students with more resources to better our college experience here at UC Merced. A lot of students are unaware of what ASUCM and UC Merced have to offer, as a senator I would also like to make sure students are aware of the current progress being made to solve these pertinent issues and what programs they are able to take advantage of as students.

Thank you!

2nd year, Sociology major, ASUCM XO, SLATE: HDC

My name is Daniel Arandia Diaz, I am 19 years old and I am a second-year sociology major here at UC Merced. I am from Richmond, California and I form a part of the External Office here at UC Merced for students. I wanted an opportunity where I can leave a very positive mark on UC Merced.

2nd year, Global Arts Studies Program major, SLATE: HDC

Hi everyone! My name is Cristian Velasco, I am from Southern California, Orange County. I am a second year at UC Merced and my major at this moment is Global Arts Studies Program (GASP). My long-term career goal is to become Sound Engineer for big companies, for example Disney Studios or Sony. I also have long-term goals to leave a remarkable mark in UC Merced History.

2nd year

One of the biggest issues I see as a student is the problem of cultural awareness. Our campus is full of diverse cultures and not all these cultures practice the same things. I feel that It is important that we understand our backgrounds and where we come from to actually create that respectful atmosphere among each other and the backgrounds we have arisen from. Being from an undocumented pacific islander family, I have gone through what it’s like to be discriminated against for both my cultural background and for being an undocumented student. Our students have cultural practices that we need to respect and understand that some cultures take these practices very seriously. Additionally, arrogance is best eliminated through education and through education we can understand each other’s cultures and understand why certain cultures practice what they practice.

As an ASUCM senator, I hope to fix the miscommunication between our cultural groups and cultural organizations on campus to allow for more of a transparency so that we are able to effectively teach our community of the cultures that are on our campus. Additionally, I hope to start the first Pacific Islander club on campus that focuses not only on the education of the pacific islands’ cultures, but also outreaching to high school students who are in these cultural communities and raise more of an awareness to them of the UC Merced campus. One of the ways that i hope to raise cultural awareness is through the organization of an annual cultural show that showcases the practices of our student population’s cultures. Additionally, I hope to bring more of a diversity to the ASUCM senator table and be a voice for understanding the problems of our student community and to actually work towards showing our student community that our ASUCM branch is here to help them.