The Senator Interviews: Part 1
April 17th, 2024 | Delfina Solorio, Editor In-Chief and Isaak Puth, Editor
In our first article covering Senator At-Large candidates, editor Isaak Puth meets with Juliana Torres to discuss her goals, background, and her desire to be a part of ASUCM. Our Editor In-Chief, Delfina Solorio, meets with Sergio Carrera III, a freshman at UCM studying political science.
Q: Do you have any other leadership experiences around campus?
A: Juliana works at the Financial Wellness Center, and though she doesn’t hold any management positions, her supervisor puts her in charge of presentations for various clubs, organizations, and classes on campus. She also said that “you need leadership skills fast” working at the Financial Wellness Center, as the job demands it, as does her supervisor. Juliana added that her supervisor holds weekly team meetings, which she’s sometimes left in charge of. Juliana also added that she’s a part of UC Merced’s women’s water polo team, “a walk-on,” she said. Although she doesn’t hold team captaincy, Juliana still strives to be a leader, communicating clearly with her team in the locker room, in the water, and in van rides; and despite the lack of captaincy, she takes the initiative to plan and coordinate team bonding.
Q: What do you hope to achieve during your time in office?
A: Juliana expressed her discontent with how UCM is perceived—she thinks that many don’t perceive UC Merced as a fully-fledged UC, a misconception that she intends to change. She said that “[she] had a really rough first year,” but over time, the university began to grow on her and she came to love and enjoy the campus she calls home. She commented on how people may not enjoy their time here as much because of misconceptions surrounding UC Merced, and if elected, hopes to change how people see the university through mass feedback from students. Communication is necessary for progress, so she’s hoping to create more lines of communication between ASUCM and the student body as well. Juliana’s ultimate goal though? “I want UC Merced to feel like home.”
Q: What qualities and experiences do you have that you believe make you suited for a senator position?
A: “I was in ASB in high school,” Juliana said. She noted that being in ASB helped her improve her leadership and communication. Now that in her second year at UC Merced, she’s gotten more involved in the community as well. Her years in Interact Club in high school, though stressful, taught her necessary leadership experience, which she plans to apply if elected into ASUCM. Her family business has also given her plenty of experience, now with over 10 years of insight into how successful businesses ought to operate. Her executive role in the company gave her significant communication and leadership strategies and skills, which she hopes to apply in a role at ASUCM.
Q: How do you see your contributions making a lasting impact on UC Merced?
A: “I don’t care if I’m remembered, I just want people later down the line to enjoy their time [at UCM].” Juliana staunchly puts impact over personal recognition. Her campaign slogan, “planting the seeds for a prideful tomorrow”, emphasizes that she wants to start a new culture at UC Merced, to be the first change to create a domino effect that eventually results in a better perception of the university and make it an institution students are proud to attend.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: “I want to be someone people can talk to. Suffering is super isolating, but we should and need to rely on each other. I want people to know that I want to make UCM grow for the better. That’s all.”
Our Editor-In-Chief, Delfina Solorio, met with Sergio Carrera III, a freshman at UCM studying political science. He hails from Riverside, California, and his status as a new student at UC Merced provides a fresh perspective on campus-wide issues.
First, we asked the most basic question, “Why are you running for ASUCM?”, to which he responded: “As a child, I took an interest to all thing's politics. I personally really like the idea of the school having a student body government. I feel that I can make a really good change and implement a lot of things that I see as a first-year that are not beneficial or not entirely productive.” We continued with some other questions.
Q: What leadership experience do you have?
A: “I’m currently a member of the Merced Pre-Law Society. I did go ahead and run for a position there and unfortunately, I did not make it, but while I was there, I did have the opportunity to discuss, with peers, things we can do to make the club more welcoming, more enjoyable, and actually get the word out there. I feel that a lot of the school’s programs, internships, clubs-they’re not really put out there and a lot of students don’t find it. So, me and the group I was assigned to, we decided to work conclusively and create new posters, a website, and just have little cards we hand out to people that are interested in Law or that field”
Q: It sounds like outreach is very important to you?
A: “Yes”
Q: What qualities and experiences do you have that make you suited for a position at ASUCM? Why should you become a Senator?
A: “I feel that I could be a very good voice for a lot of people who I feel don’t speak up or tend to just accept things but ideally have opinions or concerns or beliefs about it. I feel I’m qualified as I ran for treasurer in my High School career for ASB [a.k.a. Academic Student Body] and I won 3 years: Sophomore, Junior, and Senior. Besides that, I’m a member of Merced Pre-Law Society and SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers)[...] I feel that I could be someone who could implement the changes, I’ve seen them first hand, I recognize them and I feel like I could be a valuable asset to ASUCM”
Q: What do you hope to achieve during your time if you are elected?
A: “I definitely hope to implement some reforms, especially when it comes to clubs, especially SSHA. I feel that while it is not truly underrepresented, compared to the Engineering department or the biological or physical sciences, it doesn’t get as much representation. I definitely feel like I could increase internships, opportunities, and honestly get the word out more, even by doing posters or a possibly daily news letter regarding that. As a first year, I’ve noticed most opportunities come in the form of an email that some don’t even see or are unrelated to what you are currently studying to what you want to be. For instance, I do plan to, after completing my bachelors here, to go to law school and unfortunately there are not a lot of opportunities regarding that. Besides the Pre-Law club I’m a part of, I feel that I could expand on that and maybe find another club. But I definitely feel like I could do that[...] In terms of reforms in a broader range I definitely think there are certain areas I could change or need to be spoken about, such as the elevators. While I don’t know if that falls exactly within the category of what I wished to be elected to, I do know it is often broken down, especially in Glacier. And there are tons of people that are injured and sometimes commuting up the stairs several floors is not beneficial[...] I would also like to announce that while I believe the school treats everyone equally or fairly, I have noticed firsthand some inequality, especially by RA, they become biased or have unfair judgment, and just overall a sort of punishing attitude if it comes to being social or fostering a sense of community. I think that could definitely use some change. I know personally, not just me but my fellow roommates, have tried to talk to some of the RAs into planning events or asking help here and there so you know general things that come with being a first year, not really knowing the whole landscape or the campus or what it entails. And I will say some of our pleas for guidance have been ignored or otherwise back-tabled”
When asked further about his perception of UC Merced, Sergio discussed the lack of variety of majors within the school, pointing out that, for example, a Criminology major would benefit UC Merced, and that he could potentially strive to make that change. He also discussed how a football or baseball team could bring students from all the majors into a community rather than staying fragmented along STEM, SNS, or SSHA lines, further elaborating that student athletes also deserve more recognition for what they do for UC Merced.
We then asked for him to elaborate on his viewpoint, asking, “How do you view ASUCM as an outsider since you haven’t held office before?”
A: “As an outsider, I feel that while it is interesting and productive, it tends to get overshadowed by the fact that a lot of people don’t seem to be informed about it, so honestly, they see it as a Student Body but not very involved with the school, involved in the people’s opinions or how they feel. I know personally as a Political Science major, besides three emails regarding opportunities that I haven’t heard much about, I don’t know too much about the voting process... A lot of programs are underdeveloped and need some reworking”
Q: “How do you plan to promote engagement on Campus?”
A: “I honestly feel like the school could have more socializing events as a whole. As far as ASUCM goes, I feel that a lot of what they do is geared towards a certain major or affiliation and as a result a lot of people remain uninformed… I feel that I could definitely make a change. I have no issues going dorm to dorm or setting up a stand in the heat, or even just trying to talk to people, sometimes just having a poster or card is enough. Sometimes you have to get to know a person, entice them, see how they feel about the school, what they like, what they dislike, and foster a better sense of understanding between us”
During the interview he stressed several times the importance of outreach, whether it be canvassing from dorm to dorm and establishing a rapport or setting up channels of communication like posters or a daily newsletter. He also posed an interesting idea: utilizing RAs more to promote things on campus. He suggested that, “I feel like we could ask RAs to potentially implement that [outreach and raising awareness]... as a first year I would have liked a little more communication and a little more unity and some more guidance” He elaborated that a lot of people don’t attend RA events, but if there was a bigger sense of community the RAs could be more motivated to promote things. He also talked about how the way some things are framed could be an issue, noting that he was recommended by his RA to go to the Multicultural Center on campus simply for free printing, unaware that the centers also offer resources and a relaxing environment exist in.
Q: So what I’m hearing from all your answers is that there’s a disconnect between different groups of students from academic lines, and you aim to create events that anybody can come and celebrate and coexist with?
A: “Definitely, I feel that if we could get people to understand that we are better as a community or group, and increase our outreach and programs and get Bobcats together[…] I tend to be very social and outgoing, attending a lot of events, some fostered by the RA or some from groups or clubs, and was shocked to see most people don’t even see it as a way to socialize or connect with one another, they simply want professional networking opportunities or internships, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, there is definitely a lot more that can come from these events. It would be nice to get together, even if all we do is talk.”
Q: How do you approach making difficult decisions when especially faced with conflicting interests?
A: “Any conflict is met with opposition on both sides. As much as you try, you can never please both groups, but you might be able to come to the understanding that while you might get what you want and I might not get what I want, all of our opinions were voiced and heard, and with that done we can definitely work together and come to a reasonable compromise.”
Q: Any last words or things you’d like to say?
A: “I would like to say that while you may not know me as a person, I do want you to know that I want to improve this school. As a first year, I have seen a lot of ups and downs within the community, within the school body government, and within the government. I can strive to make positive changes. I can’t promise everything, but I want to see the school become what I know it can become: a university that is respected, and I know we can do that as long that we as Bobcats come together and foster unity.”
