CLC student Andrea Gomez, 18, is running for student trustee, with the term starting next fall semester.
Gomez has been a student at CLC since the fall 2024 semester and is majoring in political science as a basis for becoming a family attorney.
As a Latin woman, Gomez wants to work in the legal field as a family attorney to help bring a logical, emotional and caring perspective in a field where divorce takes a big toll on the entire family.
“I see how it takes a toll on them,” Gomez said. “I wanna be able to help families in a legal aspect. So, things can be more at peace, especially for the kids.”
Gomez is a student worker in the theater department and is working on her second production as an actor. As a student worker, she enjoys and respects the labor of constructing a set as well as the actors and actresses who work to develop their craft.
Gomez is also part of the music and choir department, as well as serving as a member of Latino Alliance. In Latino alliance, Gomez assists with the organization’s public relations. She is currently helping to plan a scholarship recipient night and reaching out to banquets and catering businesses for any donation or plans to work together for any Latino alliance event.
The role of student trustee is considered the face and ultimately the voice of the students. The student would have to attend all CLC board of trustee meetings. If the board were to ask the student trustee for their opinion, it would be their responsibility to reflect on what students feel as well as determine what is best for them. Though the role of student trustee does not have any voting power, their opinions are well respected.
Due to the recent political climate and the recent issues concerning DEI, Gomez said there should be representation coming from the majority of the student body. CLC is considered a Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI), with 42% of the student body Hispanic.
“Representation of the majority of the population here is important,” Gomez said. “If the majority is Latino, I think a Latino Individual is fitting to represent our HSI.”
Although the Hispanic population is among her priorities, Gomez said she wants to make sure all students have a voice, no matter their background, career goals and personal life experiences.
“Everyone is important,” Gomez said. “Everyone’s ideas and goals are significant, no matter what field you want to go into.”
When it comes to dealing with the concerns of the student body, Gomez wants to engage with administration to find a middle ground that will satisfy both sides. Gomez said each student and organization is different, and finding an inclusive way to represent them all is important.
One of the things she is looking to work on is bringing students together by promoting sports and the arts that CLC has to offer. Gomez said that by getting the word out to students about when these events are happening, students would feel more “connected.” Even if the things that are being offered aren’t what they’re usually interested in, they might end up loving it.
“They work hard to create something,” Gomez said. “It also builds a greater sense of community when people are showing up to things.”
When it comes to promoting events like these or things that CLC is looking to change, she said sending emails and including the events in a newsletter would help with informing people about what’s going on. However, she said social media would be the most accessible way to reach a lot of people.
Gomez also plans on reaching out to CLC 120 classes in order to pitch to students what clubs and organizations CLC has to offer and how they can get involved.
For students who don’t always have access to social media or look at the newsletters or emails being sent to them, Gomez proposed to talk to professors to help promote events and activities. Having the professor or someone from a club or organization present what’s happening to a class would allow students to receive that information faster. However, she does see the problem with this method of communicating to students.
“It’s kind of hard,” said Gomez. “The professor is there to do a lecture, and it would probably take time away [from their class].”
Gomez also plans to interview clubs and organizations to find more ways they could find success in reaching out to students.
“That way I can understand firsthand how they feel would be the best way for them to be represented,” Gomez said.
In the past, Gomez was interested in joining Student Government Association. However, due to some scheduling conflicts, she wasn’t able to fully participate and made the decision not to peruse it. Whether she wins students trustee or not, Gomez said she would clear time from her schedule to fully participate in making the student voices heard.
“I’m a first generation student, and figuring things out in college is not easy,” Gomez said. “No one in my family has ever graduated from college. It’s a new and exciting experience.”
There are two candidates running for student trustee Andrea Gomez and Regan Wegner. Elections are taking place March 10 to the 12, and the results will be announced on March 13.
