While the group of incumbent Associated Students Inc. board members, ‘Runners Rise, won five of the top executive positions in the student government elections, one student club was also able to get four of its members elected to the ASI board.

According to an email from Ilaria Pesco, executive director of ASI, 572 students voted in the 2023-2024 ASI elections, resulting in a 6.3% voter turnout. California State University, Bakersfield students voted for several ASI executive and director positions. This year, some candidates formed two groups. ‘Runners Rise and CSUB Elevate.

‘Runner Rise’s Daisy Alamillo, current vice president for university affairs, won as ASI president with 64% of the vote, while current director of NSME and CSUB Elevate candidate, Jacob Roper, ended with 36%.

Current vice president of legislative affairs and ‘Runner Rise candidate, Ignacio Castillo, won for executive vice president with 58% of the vote. Opposing candidate Christian Burgara, a current ASI justice, received 42% of the vote.

Vice president of finance candidate Simranjeet Kaur, a sophomore business administration major, received 23% of the vote. Kayla Medina, current director of ASI outreach and CSUB Elevate candidate, took 45% of the vote, while Coby Nguyen, current chair of the ASI board and ‘Runners Rise candidate, took 31%. Medina and Nguyen will compete in a runoff election on April 12.

‘Runner Rise’s Taylor Thomas, a junior criminal justice major, took 61% of the vote for vice president of legislative affairs against opposing candidate James Tompkins, who ended with 39%.

Two other ‘Runners Rise candidates ran unopposed for executive positions: Larry Gonzales for vice president of university affairs and Alejandro Romero for vice president of campus life.

Three ‘Runners Rise candidates also won director positions: Monique Escalante for director for Social Sciences and Education, Sarah Alame for director of sustainability, and Yasmin Marcelo for director of Arts and Humanities.

Along with being a part of ‘Runners Rise and returning ASI directors, Alame and Marcelo are also in the Students for Sustainability club. Two fellow club members also made it onto the board.

Karen Navarro, a junior psychology major and member of Students for Sustainability, ran against Sarah Varela, a fourth-year business administration major, for the director of student support. Navarro won 56% of the vote for the position, while Varela received 44%.

In a message to The Runner, Navarro wrote that having members of the club involved in student government could help build a more sustainable campus.

“We can educate the students on how a small change can make the biggest difference within our CSUB community,” wrote Navarro.

As a transfer student from Bakersfield College, Navarro is one of the few new directors coming onto the ASI board. She is excited to start her new journey as a student leader and wants to use her role as director of student support to make CSUB students’ ideas come to life, Navarro wrote.

Alejandro Martinez, a second-year business administration major and Students for Sustainability member, will be returning to his position as director of community outreach after running against candidate Kenlee Calvin Stoll, a business administration and healthcare management major. Martinez won 59% of the vote for the position against Calvin Stoll, who received 41%.

Marcelo wrote in a message that members of the club have a deep appreciation for Earth and are proactive in safeguarding its inhabitants and the environment.

“Having members hold positions in the ASI board is significant as it places where they can share their advocacy and influence those who are in positions of power,” wrote Marcelo.