Elected
During my term, I fulfilled all responsibilities as outlined in Education Code 72023.5 serving on the Cabrillo College District Board of Trustees, the Associated Student Senate of Cabrillo College, the Faculty Senate and the Cabrillo College Basic Needs Taskforce. I was living the life of a struggling AA student, working at a bagel shop to make ends meet and pursue my education. I fought to make that journey easier for other people in my community pursuing their life goals, often respectfully ruffling many feathers along the way. Serving Cabrillo College and its students in this position remains one of my proudest accomplishments to date.
Major accomplishments during my term:
Organized for the institutionalization of a spanish-speaking, 1st-gen, latino/a/x graduation ceremony
Got students refunded for 3rd party online grading systems
Worked to secure $20,000 in funds for a college bond measure campaign
Delivered yardsigns and performed speaking engagements for a college bond campaign
Authored and passed a resolution which granted campus-wide student workers 3 weeks of continued pay after being laid off due to the Covid-19 shelter-in-place order (more detail below)
Advocated and passed new Governing Board policy to pay the Student Trustee for their labor and allow them to participate in closed sessions on issues related to student discipline
Advocated for the college to pursue an on-campus housing development project, this project is now fully funded and construction will begin in the coming years!
Funded countless student initiatives
Student Worker Pay Resolution
I authored, organized around and passed a binding resolution that instituted the continued pay of the college's hundreds of student workers for at least three weeks. These students were about to be immediately laid off following the Covid-19 shelter in place order. This all started because, during the first board meeting following the shelter in place order, the board was informed that the college intended to lay off all student workers. No other type of worker at the college would be fired, only student because student workers don't have union contracts. I told the board about my personal situation (I'd just got laid off from my food service job because of the pandemic) and explained that I had no plan or idea how I was going to support myself. I told them my story in hopes that we would do the right thing and not lay off hundreds of student workers. A fellow board member offered to help me pay my rent (pictured below), I was like "oooohhh this is what they mean when they say politically connected people have it better off" and I told him no and advocated for students and won.
The email where a board member offered me money
One of many student workers that reached out to me. I publicized their stories.
The college started to respond the public stories (this was before the resolution)
Student workers reached out after we passed the resolution to thank me. One of the best feelings of my life; helping people survive capitalism rocks.
Recipient of a Recognition of Service Award
I received a Cabrillo College Recognition of Service Award, which included this very nice e-card, for my work on the Governing Board.
Student Housing Infrastructure Project
I was one of the first advocates for the college to pursue an on-campus housing infrastructure project to house local learners. The college and board rightfully recognized that the colleges main financial issue, reductions in state allotments as a result of decreases in the number of degrees conferred, the number of students pursuing eduction at the college on a full time basis and the general retention issues are largely because of local housing unaffordability. Myself and a number of associates of the college, and most importantly a number of passionate students, called on the board to begin the process of pursuing a housing infrastructure project. The beginning of that path was a feasibility study to explore costs, scale of project, location and management of the project- this feasibility study was approved by the board during my term as Student Trustee. Since then, the college has gotten the housing project (in collaboration with UCSC) fully funded with state dollars!
