The Associated Student Senate added five new senators to their governing ranks at Friday’s meeting, allowing for additional student representation.
“The more help we can get the better,” said Caleb Ransom, vice president of external affairs. “Especially with the five candidates, they seem very passionate about helping students.”
All five senators had expressed different concerns floating around City College ranging from student life in Isla Vista to cleaning up the cafeteria.
Out of the five new senators, three are international students hoping to help represent the diverse population of the student body at City College.
Senator Shirzad Zarei, 20, is a mechanical engineering major from Italy who hopes to make Isla Vista a safer place for students and plans to be environmentally proactive with the senate.
Zarei said his mission as a senator is representing the concerns of all international students.
Amber Besselman, 19, was also elected into the Senate with hopes of creating a way to reduce Isla Vista’s influence on academics, but prominently desires to be engrained in student politics.
“I love SBCC and that’s why I’m here,” said Besselman. “I want to get involved and be a part of this team.”
French student Alexandra Gros Shelton, 20, is an honors student and global studies major with ambitions to gain political experience and help represent the international population as an elected senator.
“It was really after the first meeting that I grasped the importance of the issues discussed here,” said Shelton. “And that’s when my desire to join grew.”
Political science major Yessenia Mora, 18, joined the senate with the purpose of better representing athletes on campus.
“Back in high school I was an athlete and I’ve always wanted to represent athletes,” said Mora. “I want to get them more involved.”
Anastasia Sukrorebraya, 20, expressed her love for the equal opportunities offered to students at City College and it’s for that reason that she decided to become a senator.
One common factor expressed by all of the newly elected senators was their love for the political nature of the student senate and their eagerness to represent the student body.
“Now we have this huge international presence here,” said Student Advocate Andrew Stavrenos. “It’s important to have as many representatives of the student body as possible so we can get the most diverse perspectives.”
All five senators were voted in and welcomed by the active senate members and were excited to take their new seats at the table.
The next scheduled student senate meeting is at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26, in Campus Center room 223.
