As students from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., to lobby for student programs on March 18, fourth-year sociology student Gregory Cendana was hit with the realization that this was no fleeting passion for him.
It was at this legislative conference that Cendana, whose involvement with the United States Student Association has been a central aspect of his undergraduate experience, made the decision to remain active in the organization after graduation by running for vice president.
Employing the motto “education is a right,” the national coalition of activists aims to empower student leaders to make their voices heard on a myriad of university-related issues, ranging from student fees to campus diversity.
“Primarily, we’re trying to help students realize their own power on a daily basis,” said Bill Shiebler, the organization’s state project director. “Overall, we are trying to build a national student agenda to change the face of higher education.”
Cendana has held an array of leadership positions at UCLA and at the state and national levels. He has served as internal vice president for the Undergraduate Students Association Council and has spent two years on the executive board for the USSA, and he has worked with the statewide UC Students Association.
Elections for president, vice president and board of directors of the organization will take place at the National Student Congress from Aug. 2 to 6. The roles of president and vice president are based in Washington, D.C., and are filled by recent graduates, while the board of directors is comprised of current students.
Danny Montes, a USSA board member and student at UC Berkeley, said Cendana has campaigned relentlessly for affordable tuition and immigrants’ higher education rights.
“He’s done a lot of work with the federal DREAM Act and he’s worked on fee freezes and financial aid at the statewide level with me in UCSA,” Montes said. “He has gone to almost every lobbying conference in the last few years.”
Cendana said he aims to enlarge the student base of the organization to enhance their influence in campaigning. “My vision is to have a national student movement that is encompassing of as many students as possible from different parts of the country and to see USSA run direct action organizing campaigns on a larger scale,” he said.
If elected, Cendana would have three general responsibilities: to chair the board of directors, to serve as a spokesperson for the organization, and to oversee the staff and their relations with students across the country, Shiebler said. The vice president also has miscellaneous duties, such as training students at conferences and helping to fundraise.
Montes said Cendana’s passion for student rights has made him an effective leader within the association. “I think he really exemplifies what it means to be a student activist,” Montes said. “He doesn’t just go to conferences for his personal growth and for his own agenda; he actually goes to make sure that he is there for students and that he can impart his knowledge to other leaders.”
Cendana’s commitment to the organization has enabled him to expand membership and foster relations with student leaders across the country. Shiebler said these connections would be a pivotal tool if he were elected.
“Greg has been really instrumental in helping USSA build its membership this year,” Shiebler said. “I think it will be key for someone in the role of vice president to have relationships with students on the grounds already, to have already talked with students in places like Arizona and Washington and Massachusetts.”
Thinking of the event that prompted his candidacy, Cendana said it was his involvement as a Bruin that reinforced his desire to run for vice president.
“After the conference, I had a chance to reflect on my experience at UCLA, and a lot of it involved advocating for a more accessible higher education,” he said. “I felt a responsibility to continue the organizing advocacy and a responsibility to the generations of students to come.”