Reporting by Gia Pham, Chris Padilla and Christian Trujano
Shivam Patel
Shivam Patel learned a lot from working as an operations intern for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and his two years as a student-at-large for the Associated Students Legislative Affairs committee.
It’s for these reasons that the business management information systems sophomore believes he’ll have an advantage if he gets the nomination for A.S. director of legislative affairs.
Working for the Biden campaign, Patel said he learned firsthand how to operate as part of a team and how to work around policies.
His time as a member of the A.S. Lobby Corps taught him the value of social connections, something reinforced by his time as an operations intern.
“Genuine relationships is what gets things delivered, what gets things changed,” Patel said in a phone interview with the Spartan Daily.
He said he is passionate about politics, especially regarding how they affect higher education and said if one were to make a change, they need to enjoy the work they do and not just treat it as a 9-to-5 job.
“You need to find that spark and I honestly think that this is my spark,” he said. “Wanting to make that change, to motivate people.”
Kadence Sky Walker
Political science sophomore Kadence Sky Walker said he is running for Associated Students director of legislative affairs to promote student wellness and keep San Jose State affordable.
“In college, a part of it, obviously, is education, but also a big part of it is learning life experiences and financial aid gives a lot of that ability,” said Walker in a phone interview with the Spartan Daily. “There are so many different forms of expenses that you aren’t really ever told about, or at least not me.”
In efforts to ease the financial hardships of students, Walker went on a recent lobbying trip with the A.S. Lobby Corps to discuss bills with assembly members that he will further push in A.S.
One of the bills is AB 307, which would establish a homeless youth program aiming to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California.
Walker also supports bill AB 1314, a student financial aid Cal Grant Reform Act that intends to give more students access to grants.
“At the end of the day, money is one of the biggest issues that we have, and most of our issues spawn or stem from money insecurity,” he said. “People that want to see the change are also out there. So it’s really just about finding those things and coordinating with them to make a change.”
Ashley Guerrero
When political science sophomore Ashley Guerrero discovered the Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center her first year at San Jose State, she bonded with the community there.
Now she wants to help other first-generation students get the same help, so she’s running for director of legislative affairs on the Associated Students board.
Guerrero said part of her mission is to help other first-generation students transition into their first year of college, just like the center helped her.
Even though Guerrero said she doesn’t know much about current state legislature that affects students throughout the California State Universities, she plans to educate herself and other students.
“I feel like we need to allocate resources for first-generation students and students who struggle through academia,” Guerrero said in a phone interview with the Spartan Daily.
Guerrero also wants to advocate for allocating more funds to student employees, pointing out that during the current coronavirus pandemic, students who work for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services don’t get paid.
Guerrero said if she is elected, she will work to represent students who feel underrepresented.
“I feel like given that I’m first generation and I [was very] involved in the Chicanx/Latinx community, I learned a lot about different students’ struggles and I want folks to work together to make a difference,” Guerrero said.
