by Jazzminn Morecraft
On April 18, the 2018-2019 Associated Students Incorporated and Student Government Elections were closed at 5 p.m. With the close of the elections, the Student Government President and Vice President for the upcoming 2018-2019 year were chosen. Receiving 228 out of the 250 votes casted — or 91 percent of the votes — Atticus Reyes and Raul Perez were elected as the upcoming President and Vice President of Student Government.
The CI View had a chance to interview these new leaders. This is what they said.
Q: What is your major and why did you choose it?
Reyes: I chose history as a major because I believe for us to understand where we are going, we must first understand where we have been, and what we have done before. Faulkner said it best; “the past is not dead, in fact, it is not even past.”
Perez: My major is Environmental Science and Resource Management and the story of why I chose this major is actually a long one … I could go on and on as to why I picked my major, but the ultimate reason is I fell in love. I fell in love with the subject, I liked the idea that in studying this subject I can make a difference in this world, yes going into the field I knew it wouldn’t be easy but it could be done nevertheless, and that was good enough for me.
Q: What year are you?
R: Third Year.
P: I am currently a 3rd year.
Q: What are your hobbies?
R: Basketball, football, swimming, and playing piano.
P: My hobbies include but are not limited to spending time with my girlfriend, going to Disneyland, playing or watching baseball (Go Dodgers!), running, and spending time outdoors being active.
Q: How will this position help you grow or learn as a student?
R: I believe this position will help me learn how to work effectively with people with different backgrounds and experiences.
P: This position will not only advance my time management skills, but it will also develop my understanding of the issues students face on a daily basis. This position will also aid me in becoming a better support system for the students, and further promote my ability to represent students in a nonpartisan way.
Q: What are your future career plans after graduation?
R: I plan on attending graduate school to research Los Angeles labor history.
P: After graduating from CI I intend to enroll in graduate school, where I can hopefully get accepted to Stanford, Berkeley, or UCLA. With that master’s degree, I hope to be able to further my career in the environmental field and ultimately obtain my dream job.
Q: What is your dream job?
R: Elected government official.
P: I am actually between “Dream Jobs” right now, coming into CI I wanted to become an environmental lawyer, however as the years progressed I am now considering changing my career path to becoming a city planner.
Q: How will this position help you obtain your dream job?
R: (By) teaching me how to achieve realistic policy goals through collaboration and compromise.
P: In not fully knowing where life will take me and which career path I will wind up taking, I know for a fact I want to work in local government.
Q: If you wanted students to know one thing about you, what would it be?
R: Even though I may have a strong voice, my primary goal is to strengthen other students’ voices to ultimately enable them to speak on their own behalf about their own experiences.
P: If there is one thing I could have the students of CI take away with them is that I am truly here for them. I am a person who believes in fighting for what’s right, not only for the majority but also for the minority as well. I want the students of CI to know that there is no voice that is too small, if a student has a concern I want to hear it and I want to be there for you all. If any student ever needs to talk, has any issue, or even wants a friend please don’t hesitate to reach out, I will personally be there for you all whenever you need me no matter the time or the day.
