UCLA alumnus Gregory Cendana was recently elected president of the United States Students Association, a continuation of the work he did in the undergraduate student government during his time at UCLA.
“Working on a national level is very different from working on USAC at UCLA, but it’s interesting to see how everyone can come together to improve higher education,” Cendana said.
Cendana said he hoped to collaborate with others when he joined the United States Student Association. The association is located in Washington D.C. and is the largest and oldest national student association in the country, he said.
The goal of the organization is to encourage recent undergraduates and post-graduates to advocate for issues surrounding education like affordability and accessibility for all students in higher education. Recently, the United States Students Association has helped to increase funding for federal aid and lower interest rates for federal loans for students, Cendana said.
His presidency will give him the opportunity to work closely with a diverse community, which also led him to accept the position.
“The thing about USSA is that there really is no typical background,” said Jake Stillwell, communications director and former member of the organization during his undergraduate years at Central Washington University. “The one commonality is that everyone is very active in some capacity at organizing something.”
Currently Cendana’s goals for the association include rallying support for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. These acts will allow for higher education institutions to become more accessible and affordable for students, Cendana said.
He said his involvement with the Undergraduate Student Association Council and the United States Student Association began in 2004-2005, when he attended the grassroots organizing weekend at UCLA as a student. After that weekend, he realized that he wanted to make a difference in other students’ college experiences.
After working for USAC for the majority of his time at UCLA, he became the external vice president for USAC during his senior year. He graduated in the spring of 2008 and continued working for the United States Student Association.
Dr. Berky Nelson, administrative representative for USAC, who worked with Cendana, said that he feels USAC prepares students for what they are likely to face in life.
“At USAC you learn to figure out how you can work effectively with someone to achieve your goals with someone who has a different perspective than you do,” Nelson said. “If you vie to accomplish something and you don’t get it done then it gives you an opportunity to engage in introspection.”
While being a part of USAC Cendana worked on increasing the engagement between students and USAC members on campus. He also worked closely with the board of directors to increase the number of people involved that help run USAC.
“Being a USAC member at UCLA prepared me to understand the importance of helping students, maintaining good relationships, having students a part of the political process and learning about democracy,” Cendana said.
Although USAC was a prime reason why Cendana became interested in helping students, his experience as a Bruin helped him to figure out his passion.
“At UCLA one has to figure out what professors can give guidance, how you ascertain what peers to interact with, how you find them and what you do when you find them,” Nelson said. “UCLA pushes someone like Greg because UCLA is not a private school where people hold your hand.”