UCSA president inspired by past

As a UCLA student more than five years ago, Angélica Salceda struggled to pay for college, balancing multiple jobs and the workload of a full-time student.

Born and raised in the Central Valley, Salceda came from a family with a combined income of about $30,000, she said.

Financial struggles kept Salceda from getting involved with school activities ““ though she was interested in doing so for a long time ““ as an undergraduate, she said.

“I spent most of my time working, which means I didn’t get to spend much time on campus and develop relationships there,” she said. “For financial reasons I had to prioritize my work.”

While studying, Salceda juggled work as a program assistant at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, a Covel tutor and as a parking assistant.

But now, as a graduate student at the UC Berkeley School of Law, Salceda has made time for advocacy. She hopes to use her new position to represent students in a similar situtation to the one she was in as an undergraduate, who do not have time for advocacy.

She was recently elected president of the University of California Student Association, a coalition of UC students and student governments that aims to address relevant student issues ““ such as college affordability ““ through advocacy, according to the organization’s website.

The UC Student Association board of directors is comprised of representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student governments of all 10 UC campuses, said Matt Haney, executive director of the UC Student Association. Additionally, each voting member may appoint two non-voting board members, according to the association’s website.

Though the organization has no vote on the UC Board of Regents, Salceda said it has pushed certain pieces of legislation ““ such as the Dream Act ““ in the past and lobbied with the regents for a tuition buyout in the 2012 state budget.

The UC Student Association president is responsible for maintaining communication with the UC president and the chair of the Board of Regents, writing and signing documents on behalf of the association, facilitating meetings and presenting a monthly report to the association board, according to the organization’s website.

For the upcoming year, Salceda said she does not have many specific goals so far, and instead intends to prioritize the goals students bring to her.

But she does anticipate trekking back and forth between Berkeley and Sacramento, to meet with legislators as part of her new role.

One challenge Salceda anticipates this year, however, is the fate of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, which is on the ballot in November.

The measure would increase the sales tax by a quarter of a cent and raise taxes on households that earn more than $250,000. If voters turn down the proposal, the UC will lose $250 million immediately, likely prompting a mid-year double-digit tuition increase, officials have said.

“One of the things we’re going to have to answer (to students about) is in November, if the (governor’s) tax does not pass,” Salceda said. She added that she wants to be able to organize students to push back against possible cuts that will be on the table in case the tax measure fails.

The student association and Salceda are also currently advocating in favor of the Middle Class Scholarship Act ““ a package of bills to create a scholarship for middle-income students that is making its way through the legislature.

Salceda’s motivation to apply for a leadership position partially stems from her personal background, she said.

She graduated from UCLA in 2007 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and history, and was the first in her family to attend a four-year college.

Salceda’s parents are Mexican immigrants who now work in agriculture in the Central Valley, she said. After taking introductory classes in a variety of fields, Salceda said she felt drawn to history and political science to learn more about her Latin American roots.

After graduating from UCLA, Salceda worked first as an intern and then as a legislative aide for state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who represents the 22nd district in Los Angeles.

Working as an aide encouraged her to apply for law school, she said.

“What really sets Angélica Salceda apart as a strong candidate this year as president is that she (knows about) the legislative process, and has experience working in the (state) Senate,” said third-year sociology student John Joanino, who has served on the association’s board of directors with Salceda for two years.

Salceda said, however, that some of her most valuable experiences in Sacramento came outside of the dome of the capitol.

“There was a moment when I was a law student organizing some event,” she said. “And it was being outside of the legislature where I ended up having a change of thinking where I realized how important advocacy is.”

Salceda’s limitations as an undergraduate and her post-graduation experience in Sacramento motivated her to apply for UC Student Association president, she said.

Many of Salceda’s colleagues at the UC Student Association have become her close friends over the years.

Joanino recalled a time last year when Salceda canceled her plans and dropped him off at the airport after a retreat for the student association.

“Even though we’ve met through student activism, I think she is an incredible friend just like she’s also an incredible leader,” Joanino said.

Gilberto Soria, a recent UCLA graduate and former UCLA representative to the association, said he feels Salceda’s experience working in Sacramento will be an asset to her new role.

“She grounds us,” Soria, who worked with her this past year, said. “Sometimes we get really hypothetical (with legislation prospects) but she helps us step back and think first, “˜Is this really going to pass?'”

Aside from working on issues such as affordability that relate to students, Salceda hopes to return to the Central Valley to get involved with environmental justice after she graduates from law school, she said.

She said living in such a highly polluted area inspired her to return to her community and provide a healthier living environment.

Contributing reports by Naheed Rajwani and Jingxi Zhai, Bruin senior staff.