It’s Tuesday, and for those who spend most of their time
inside Kerckhoff Hall, it’s meeting day for the Undergraduate
Students Association Council.
Tonight, however, will be the first time in a year that the
2004-2005 council will not meet ““ instead, council members
will be packing their past USAC project materials and leaving the
offices they once occupied.
The transition meeting held by the old USAC council and the
newly elected one occurred last week.
With several ex-council members graduating, some will pursue
political positions on a wider scale in the future, while others
will opt out of a directly elected political position, though most
say they plan to stay involved in public policy in general.
Outgoing president Allende Palma/Saracho, who plans to attend
Stanford’s graduate teaching program, said though he will
take with him the lessons from his USAC experience, such as working
with people from a diverse background, he does not see himself
involved with the student government at Stanford.
Palma/Saracho said because the teaching program is intense, his
priority will be focusing on becoming the best teacher he can be.
He hopes to start his own school someday and does not plan to be
involved with any form of student government or politics in
general.
Though Palma/Saracho is leaving, he feels fulfilled in having
served USAC overall and looks forward to UCLA’s future in the
hands of the new council.
“I wish I had the honor of calling Jenny (Wood) my
protege,” Palma/Saracho said, referring to his confidence in
the newly elected USAC president’s leadership.
Outgoing Internal Vice President Darren Chan also has similar
plans to attend the same Stanford graduate program as Palma/Saracho
with intentions of teaching and “coming back to higher
education in some degree.”
Unlike Palma/Saracho, Chan said he plans to get involved with
the student government at Stanford in “some
capacity.”
Chan said his father has always inspired him and served as an
example of a leader. Chan also credited his experiences serving on
the council and working cooperatively with others as another
contributing factor to his development as a leader.
Though Palma/Saracho and Chan do not plan to be directly
involved with politics, some other council members do.
Outgoing External Vice President John Vu has worked on political
lobbying efforts for the past year. He advocated the decrease of
student fees and the authorization of the Dream Act currently
planned to be re-introduced as a bill in congress, which would
grant student immigrant rights for access to higher education and
potential employment in the United States.
Vu has also been a campaign manager for the Student Power! slate
this past election season.
He jokingly said, “if Jenny (or) Allende … run for a
public office, then I see myself (in the future) running their
campaign.”
Aside from his personal goals, like raising a family and
embracing art, Vu still plans to continue working on issues of
higher education with community-based organizations.
Vu has applied for Coro, an internship for those who want to be
involved in public affairs and gain experience in everything from
the logistics of business to the national government’s larger
campaigns.
Vu seems to be following a path similar to that of ex-general
representative from the 2003-2004 council Josh Lawson.
Lawson will be participating in the Coro fellowship and plans to
attend law school, and eventually pursue elected public offices in
the future.
Though Lawson was not on the council this year, he was involved
in helping the efforts of Bruins United ““ the slate with
majority on the new council.
“I learned how to mobilize students around an issue and
how to bring attention to areas that students did not previously
know about,” Lawson said, referring to what he felt he took
away from his experiences serving on council.
2002-2003 USAC President David Dahle is already attending law
school, but said he has no plans to run for an elected public
position.
In fact, in his years at UCLA’s law school, Dahle has not
been involved in any form of student government, but he said he
appreciates the fact that his experience in USAC has taught him to
compromise and plan strategically for his future.
Some USAC graduates will pursue careers involving things similar
to what they’ve worked on while on council.
Jason Gaulton, who has been campus events commissioner for the
past two years, is graduating and said he plans to continue working
in the entertainment industry as an agent for artists.
Gaulton’s experiences with USAC have ranged from hosting
the $2 movie screenings to the larger-scale and more recent concert
featuring The Roots in Bruin Plaza.
“USAC provided us all with a valuable learning experience
that will without a doubt give us a boost as we try to make it in
the world beyond UCLA,” Gaulton said.