The Associated Students Inc. announced new nominees for the Director of Community Outreach and a Judicial Council position during their meeting on Sept. 7. 

Alejandro Martinez, a business administration major and sophomore at California State University, Bakersfield, is running for Director of Community Outreach. According to Martinez, he ran for this position to become more involved in the student government. He explained that he would be a great candidate due to his good social skills and his ability to connect and relate to other students on campus.  

Martinez explained that he will get students involved by trying to connect to students who are hesitant or shy to get involved within CSUB. 

“There are certain students who say ‘Who wants to do this? The student body, that’s boring’ but in order to, you know, truly get them to do certain things, you can connect with them one-on-one as a person,” Martinez said.  

Martinez also mentioned that he would love to help small businesses around Bakersfield by bringing them to CSUB, showcasing their business to students, and showing people that they too can operate their own business and become an entrepreneur. 

The final nominee that was introduced was Christian Burgara, a history major at CSUB who is running for Justice position with a two-year appointment. According to Burgara, he decided to run for ASI because he believes in public service. He explained that one of his main heroes, John F. Kennedy, inspired him to use his talents to help better society. 

Burgara said that he has had leadership skills in the past. For example, Burgara said that he was a tutor for Advancement Via Individual Determination students at Independence High School. He explained that his job was to help and assist students with their homework. Even though he wasn’t an expert on every subject, he was able to step up and work with them. 

Burgara explained that he would remain neutral in every situation, be interested in reading through all the by-laws, and inform other students about ASI and the judicial branch if he were to be elected for Justice.  

According to Burgara, he does not have experience in regard to the position he is running for.  

“However, what I do bring to the table is determination. I do bring to you my tears, my sweat, and my toil. I promise you that I will work hard in this position,” Burgara said. 

Some ASI members made comments about the nominees.

According to Yasmin Marcelo, the director of arts and humanities at CSUB, she thinks that Martinez will be a great addition to ASI due to his selflessness towards others and connection and relatability with students.  

Elizabeth Bowen, the director of student support, said that she enjoyed Burgara’s response to the questions. Bowen thinks that he would be great for the position. However, she thinks that it will take some time to gain trust from the board and the students.