Building Unity from Afar
Student Government President Sophie Nguy峄卬 and Vice President Emily Qui帽onez
by Marya Barlow
Long before COVID-19 tested their plans, Student Government President Sophie Nguy峄卬 and Vice President Emily Qui帽onez vowed to build unity in the 华体会 campus and community. After the pandemic forced CSU classes online, they redoubled their efforts to keep fellow Dolphins 鈥渟wimming together.鈥�
鈥淚t has been a challenge to create personal connections even within Student Government, being that we are not in our office working together in the same space,鈥� they said. 鈥淲e prioritize communicating with our team and creating a warm, inclusive space so team members can connect and bond. We have found tools like social media, and Instagram specifically, to be extremely beneficial in reaching more students. Instagram tools such as direct messaging, Question & Answer boxes, polls, IGTV, and Instagram Live have been especially great in allowing us to connect with our student body.鈥�
Their slogan, 鈥淓mpower, Uplift, Unify,鈥� distills the organization鈥檚 overarching vision down to three words.
Nguy峄卬 is a Sociology major, Chicana/o Studies minor and commuter student who transferred from Ventura College as a junior.
鈥淕rowing up in Oxnard as the daughter of two immigrants has instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility and gave me a passion for empowering, uplifting and advocating for fellow underrepresented students,鈥� she said.
Qui帽onez is a first-generation Chicana college student from the City of San Fernando, double-majoring in Political Science and Chicana/o Studies. As Vice President, she hopes to champion underrepresented students and marginalized communities and encourage more students to 鈥渇ind their place on our campus.鈥�
The two elected officials work closely with a team of three executive members, nine senators, nine interns, University leaders, CSU constituents, and California state officials to advance a wide-array of priorities that include everything from educational access and affordability to student health and welfare. The Student Government team has been instrumental in promoting digital connection, racial justice, college affordability, environmental sustainability, and support for students鈥� mental/emotional health and basic needs.
Nguy峄卬 and Quinonez, are especially proud of encouraging student civic engagement and activism during a particularly challenging time. Though 华体会 is one of the smaller campuses of the CSU and UC systems competing in the California Secretary of State鈥檚 Ballot Bowl, it consistently garners an impressive percentage of students registering to vote. To Nguy峄卬 and Quinonez, that is an affirmation of the value of Student Government.
鈥淐onsidering how challenging it can be to engage with students and build community in a virtual environment, the community we have been able to foster is something we celebrate and are continuously working to grow,鈥� they said.
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漏 Fall 2020 / Volume 25 / Number 2 / Biannual