Kelly Zamudio
As a community college alum, having navigated the transfer journey myself, I understand both the challenges and stigmas often faced by "non-traditional" students. UC Davis has prided itself on their transfer-friendly campus. While I agree that Davis fosters an environment that is welcoming for students, from the point of application to their commitment to the school, there is a moment where transfer students become part of the Aggie community; however, it becomes difficult for many students to integrate into this community. Programs like The Aggie Mentors Committee (AMC), which aimed at helping both incoming freshmen and transfer students with the transition, have been inactive for two years. Bringing this initiative back to life would allow transfer students to have positions in ASUCD, bringing transfer student perspectives. Additionally, we only have one transfer student who is representing us on the senate floor, and while they are doing an amazing job, we need more students like ours to advocate for our needs.
As a daughter of immigrants, I also understand the current fear that many of our students are facing, given the immigration enforcement practices that are punitive and hurting our Latinx communities, in particular, students like myself, who leave their homes to study at UC Davis and have the uncertainty of seeing their families again. I propose implementing legal absence exceptions that allow excused absences for legal obligations such as court hearings or immigration-related matters. Most importantly, if a student’s family member is detained in an ICE facility, the student should be granted at least three days of excused absence to manage the
situation with dignity and care.
Finally, as a first-generation Chicana student, I recognize that although UC Davis's becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution is monumental, it means that we need to unite our student populations. We need to build bridges between Registered Student Organizations and ASUCD to address any academic disparities that many first-generation Latinx students may face while also incorporating cultural programming.
These lived experiences have deeply shaped my commitment to advocacy and inspired me to run as an ASUCD Senator in this upcoming election, because we need more transfer students on the senate, because our immigrant communities are under attack, and because becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution means uniting our student populations.
Vote for Transfer student advocacy, legal protections for undocumented students, and building bridges among Chicanx and Latinx RSOs and Community Centers.
“La gente unida jamás será vencida.”