Back row: left is Juan Flores, right is Kimberly Tran. Front row: left is Gloria Chavez, right is Karina Sissom.
Students at Truckee Meadows Community College will soon be casting their votes for officers and senator candidates in the Student Government Association (SGA) annual election, and two of the officer positions are contested races this year.
The election for student body representatives is online, taking place from April 3 at 8 a.m. until April 17 at 8 a.m. A candidates page with bios and photos is posted for students to find more information.
The two contested races are for the officer positions of President and Secretary. The students vying for these spots express interest in supporting their fellow students and growing their leadership abilities.
Candidates in Contested Races Say Why They’re Running
Kimberly Tran is one of the candidates running for SGA President. She has enjoyed becoming involved in student government and noticed that advocating for and encouraging other students has helped her to develop her outgoing side.
“I’d like to get involved with students at the College—and advocate for causes such as extending the medical services available at the University of Nevada, Reno to TMCC, so that students here can have access to basic medical services,” she said.
Juan Flores is also running for SGA President. He is a veteran and would like to take the leadership skills he has been developing to the next level.
“I’m seeing a lot of changes going on with the school that would affect non-traditional students or veterans,” he said. “I also oppose the $9 per credit student fee for all students because it doesn’t fit well with TMCC’s brand. The majority of students work and many have families. They are trying to improve their lives; often with a non-traditional schedule, studying at night. Many of the offices close at night.”
Gloria Chavez is on the ballot for the position of Secretary.
“SGA is a good opportunity for me to get to know the students more and what happens behind the scenes,” she said. “I’m interested to see what the students would like to have happen at the school and how I can help meet those needs.”
Also running for secretary is Karina Sissom.
“Currently, I’m the student body president for TMCC High School in my junior year—in my sophomore year I started a leadership class,” she said. “With leadership class, I’ve gained confidence in my own abilities and I believe in student voice. With these experiences, I could bring this to the college aspect of student government.”
Candidate Roster
Running for the other two SGA executive officer positions are:
- Treasurer: candidate is Yuri Aoki.
- The Vice President race is vacant: students may apply on the SGA website.
Senators represent Chair positions and academic divisions:
- Activities Chair: candidate is Stephen Moore.
- Clubs and Organizations Chair race is vacant: students may apply on the SGA website.
- Business: candidate is Brooke Micone.
- Liberal Arts: candidate is Alexandria Whitaker.
- Sciences Division and Technical Sciences Division races are vacant: students may apply on the SGA website.
- Senator At-Large: candidate is Hirokazu Kishinami.
How Are the Candidates Campaigning?
This year’s candidates are widening their connections through personal interactions and face-to-face talks, and not as much on social media.
“A more personal approach is going to be the best way,” Flores said. “My instructors might be able to set time aside so that I can come into a class and talk about my platform so the students know who I am. I plan to visit after Spring Break; in the Business Division and Technical Sciences, where the non-traditional students are.”
Tran is the only candidate who has so far used social media tools for outreach, but she said it’s not her main campaigning tool.
“I’m making posters over Spring Break and I’ve been talking to my professors, telling my friends and plan to do more social media campaigning; Instagram and Facebook platforms,” she said. “It’s more personal to visit one-to-one and let people get to know me.”
Chavez is also working on printed pieces.
“I have posters made that I’ll put up after the break—and I have permission from the librarians to put note cards at the computer stations in the Elizabeth Sturm Library,” she said. “I’ll hopefully talk to each of my classes for five minutes at the beginning or ending of class and let them know that I’m running and how they can vote.”
Sissom agrees with her fellow SGA officer candidates about the face-to-face connection.
“I’m planning to talk to each of my seven classes so I’ll get a lot of people listening,” she said. “I plan on putting up posters after Spring Break. At TMCC High School, we have school meetings, assemblies of about 250 people. There’s one in April that I’ve got clearance from my Principal to speak at. I want to let people know my qualifications and why they should vote for me.”
To Vote
To vote in the SGA election, after April 3 at 8 a.m. go online to the Student Government Association elections link. More information about SGA can be found by calling 775-673-7203.