The incumbent Undergraduate Students Association Council Academic Affairs commissioner said he achieved success in the role this year during a debate Thursday.

The USA Elections Board and the Daily Bruin co-hosted a series of debates between candidates in the upcoming USAC election Wednesday and Thursday. Cristopher Espino, a third-year education and social transformation and political science student, is running unopposed for the position of Academic Affairs commissioner.

Abrar Alzabin, a second-year human biology and society student, was deemed ineligible to run for the position April 23 after failing to submit required funding disclosures. 

Espino said the role of AAC has historically been to promote access and equity. As the Academic Affairs commissioner this past year, Espino developed a proposal in which all of the council’s senators were required to conduct a passion project, he added. 

Espino also said he acquired a $15,000 grant for a foster youth program. 

[Related: LIVE – USAC 2025 debates: Night 2] 

He added that the first ever student ambassador to the Registrar program – a platform for undergraduate students to advocate for changes to the Registrar’s Office – was created during his time at AAC. 

“We created the first ever SAR program, which is the students and registrar ambassadorship, which puts students at the forefront, advocating for things like course marking, advocating for things like ensuring that students are not able to purchase classes for other students,” Espino said.

In his closing remarks, Espino said he appreciated the support he received from his colleagues in the AAC office.  

“I haven’t done this alone,” Espino said. “You’re electing one person, but there are so many people in my office who we’ve been really, really diligent, dedicated to creating systemic change.”

Students can vote in the election on MyUCLA from 8 a.m. May 9 until noon May 16.