The UC Student Association elected its new president on Saturday, after its previous president resigned early last week.
Raquel Morales, a fourth-year international and Latin American studies student at UC San Diego, was elected through a special election held at the association’s regularly-scheduled board meeting at UCLA over the weekend.
Previously, Morales served as a legislative liaison for UCSD, and the legislative committee chair for the association last year.
She first ran for the position of president in August, but lost.
“Deciding to step up was not something new … I’ve been thinking about it since summer,” Morales added.
The UC Student Association board is comprised of representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student governments of the UC campuses. The organization has no vote on the UC Board of Regents, but has pushed certain pieces of legislation in the past ““ such as the Dream Act.
The association’s president communicates with the UC president and the chair of the Board of Regents, writes and signs documents on behalf of the association and presents a monthly report to the association board, according to the organization’s website.
Morales moved to the United States from Nicaragua with her family when she was 6 years old. After her family’s visa expired, she said her mom wanted to stay in the United States for the better education opportunities for her and her two younger brothers, so they temporarily resided in the country undocumented.
“(Having been undocumented) makes me appreciate this place even more,” she said. “We were fortunate enough to get our residency. … I was one of the lucky ones, and I recognize that privilege.”
Morales’ background has influenced her interest in public policy, she added.
As president of the UC Student Association this year, Morales aims to focus on mitigating the financial “crisis” students are in, she said.
Among her concrete goals, she hopes to help preserve Cal Grants and the UC’s informal return-to-aid policy, which redirects to students a percentage of revenue generated by tuition.
UC Student Association board members Lana Habib El-Farra and Lazaro Cardenas said they have thus far seen Morales work to further these goals.
“She’s not a new face for the (state) legislature,” El-Farra, external vice president of UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council, said.
Cardenas, external vice president for the Associated Students of UC Riverside, said Morales has been very involved with the board, voluntarily participating in lengthy discussions about policy.
“She has been working extensively, with the organization, to advocate for voter registration and more student involvement with the governing boards of the UC, like the UC Board of Regents, Cardenas said.
With the November elections fast approaching, Morales plans to prioritize getting the word out about students voting, she added. She said she is ready for the time commitment the position entails.
“The way I’m preparing first and foremost is to recognize it’s not just me,” Morales said. “I trust the leaders I’m (working with) to support me and recognize we are students first, then student leaders as well.”