Between April 7 and 11, all UC San Diego undergraduate students have the opportunity to vote in this year’s Associated Students election, picking their student government representatives for the 2025-26 academic year. The UCSD Guardian has compiled a comprehensive voter guide below. 

Some candidates are running with slates, which is a common platform shared by candidates running for different positions. This year, there are five slates: CORGI, PILLARS, Polaris, THRIVE, and Tritons Together. 

The election includes votes to fill 15 positions total. There are five positions on the A.S. Cabinet: President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Academic Affairs. There are 10 positions on the A.S. Senate: five Campus-Wide Senators, two Off-Campus Senators, two Transfer Senators, one International Senator, and one Out-of-State Senator. The undergraduate ballot will also include the PRESS referendum, a quarterly student fee of $3.50 to fund the operations of The Guardian. 

Undergraduate students will also have the chance to vote for candidates to fill their respective College Councils. Positions in Office vary by each college’s individual governing structure, but all College Councils include two A.S. senators who represent their college to the A.S. Senate. Eighth College students will also be able to vote on the Eighth College Student Activity Fee Referendum, a quarterly student fee of $14 to fund its events. 

The PRESS referendum is the only ballot measure that will appear on graduate student ballots.

This voter guide includes an explanation of each position, the candidates running, and their slate affiliations, if applicable. Descriptions for each candidate were given only for candidates running without a slate, except A.S. presidential candidates. This information was compiled from A.S.’s Standing Rules and candidate statements.

For more information on College Council candidates, the PRESS referendum, and the Eighth College Student Activity Fee Referendum, please refer to the A.S. elections website. 

The Guardian is running a positive campaign for PRESS and that information can be found at ucsdguardian.org/yes-on-press.

Voting opens on Tritonlink at 10 a.m. on April 7 and closes at 4 p.m. on April 11. Results will be announced on the day that voting closes.

Cabinet Positions

A.S. President: The A.S. President is the chief executive officer and representative of the A.S. Council. They are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the advocacy priorities of the Council in conjunction with the needs of the student body. As the A.S. representative, they meet with the chancellor and campus administration to advocate and amplify student voices to campus administration. To meet these goals, they will also develop and maintain relationships with campus partners and additional key partners as needed.

Candidates:

• Dylan Archer (Polaris)
• Sarah Aranda (Independent)
• Ivan Ramirez (Tritons Together)
• Omar Salazar Fernandez (THRIVE)
• William Simpson (PILLARS)

Executive Vice President: The Executive VP is responsible for the management and oversight of the Senate, serving as its executive advisor. The VP will assist the development and implementation of the Senator’s projects and advocacy work, manage internal and campus-wide committee appointments, and ensure that the duties and responsibilities of the Senate and its membership are fulfilled. 

Candidates:

• Zakaria Kortam (Polaris)
• Mina Nguyen (PILLARS)

Vice President of External Affairs: The VP of External Affairs is responsible for educating ASUCSD on issues affecting the UC on local, state, and federal levels as well as advocating for issues regarding higher education and lobbying UC officials on behalf of ASUCSD. The VP of External Affairs is also a voting member of the University of California Student Association, in which they represent ASUCSD. Additional responsibilities include developing relationships with local officials, nonprofits, and other groups to advance the priorities of ASUCSD through civic engagement. 

Candidates:

• Aryan Dixit (CORGI)
• Sofia Earley (Independent)
• Ricardo Miranda (PILLARS)
• Alex Sun (Polaris)

Vice President of Academic Affairs: The VP of Academic Affairs is responsible for advocating for student involvement in academic governance, reviewing academic policies, and rewriting University academic policies affecting students, especially in promoting campus resources intended to support underrepresented communities to enhance their academic experiences. They will act as a liaison between ASUCSD and the Academic Senate, supervising all projects and operations involving academic matters by the ASUCSD. Along with having a seat on the Academic Senate, the VP of Academic Affairs is also responsible for appointing students to Academic Senate committees and overseeing the entire Office of Academic Affairs.

Candidates:

• Guadalupe Barrera (Thrive)
• Nico Cruz (PILLARS)
• Aryen Singhal (CORGI)

AS Senate Positions

Campus-Wide Senator: The campus-wide Senator will advocate for student needs, working to create and implement policies and initiatives that support the student body. A.S. Senators are responsible for managing and allocating millions of dollars of student fees, as well as writing and maintaining the rules, policies, and procedures of the ASUCSD.

Candidates:

• Elijah Dukhovny (Tritons Together)
• Alicia Fehlman (Thrive)
• Kera Finnigan (PILLARS)
• Jasmine Lee (CORGI)
• Gavin Martinez (CORGI)
• Fnu Moazzma (PILLARS)
• Emily Nguyen (Thrive)
• Elena Padilla Macias (Thrive)
• Kiana Pereira (Tritons Together)
• Tanya Pulla (PILLARS)
• Erin Ramos (PILLARS)
• Noa Reyzblat (Tritons Together)
• Gilad Segal (Tritons Together)
• Ethan Shih (Tritons Together)
• Justin Topete (CORGI)
• Mohammed Zaid (PILLARS)

Off-Campus Senator: The Off-Campus Senator is responsible for supporting off-campus students, including the search for housing, the off-campus student experience, and the general issues and challenges of off-campus students. This includes managing resources and services related to commuting and coordinating with representatives from individual College Councils. 

Candidates:

• Francisco Becerra (PILLARS)
• Mayani Bowens (Thrive)
• Lizbeth Diaz (PILLARS)
• Tanishq Jain (Independent)
• Cooper Levinson (Tritons Together)
• Amanda Obedian (Tritons Together)

Transfer Senator: The Transfer Senator is responsible for advocating for the needs and concerns of transfer students at UCSD, including the implementation of initiatives and resources related to academics, the transfer transition process, and student experience and satisfaction. The Transfer Senator will coordinate with transfer representatives from each College Council and manage relationships with transfer resource centers and groups across campus. 

Candidates:

• Bruno Eliseo (CORGI)
• Kyle Gilbert (Tritons Together)
• Christopher Rodriguez (Independent)
• Tianna Ortiz (PILLARS)

International Senator: The International Senator will advocate for the needs and interests of international students. They will work to ensure helpful support in place for transition and community engagement, and focus on any initiatives, programs, and policies that may support in the process. The International Senator is also responsible for maintaining relationships with relevant partners and resources across campus including the Dean of Global Education and the International Students and Programs Office. 

Candidates:

• Divenaa Madan (CORGI)
• Arif Ruslan (PILLARS)

Out-of-State Senator: The Out-of-State Senator is responsible for addressing and advocating for the needs of out-of-state students, including any initiatives and policies related to the transition process, student life, and other challenges and experiences of out-of-state students.

Candidates:

• Wuyi Heryadi (PILLARS)
• Alicia Schmerold (Thrive)
• Arya Verma (CORGI)

Slates

CORGI (Campus Organizers Revitalizing Grassroots Initiatives)

The CORGI slate revolves around three major goals to improve the student body at UCSD. The first is strengthening student communities on campus by protecting student spaces and making A.S. autonomous and independent from the University. The second is about improving student services, and the third is to increase student political representation by empowering student voices in administrative and political settings both in and outside of UCSD. Here are the candidates running with CORGI:

Cabinet:

• Aryan Dixit
• Aryen Singhal

Senators:

• Jasmine Lee
• Gavin Martinez
• Bruno Eliseo
• Divenaa Madan
• Arya Verma
• Justin Topete

PILLARS 

The PILLARS Slate is built on 12 core pillars the group intends to address. These pillars include: reallocating A.S. funds to basic needs, food security, and nutritional access, covering healthcare co-pay, increased scholarships, increased funding for cultural religious organizations, College Council and admin divestment, protest policy reform, student organizations funding promise, increased course capacity, Office for Students with Disabilities reform, Greek housing, and sustainability. Here are the candidates running with PILLARS:

Cabinet: 

• William Simpson 
• Mina Nguyen 
• Ricardo Miranda 
• Nico Cruz

Senators: 

• Tanya Pulla
• Kera Finnigan
• Fnu Moazzma 
• Erin Ramos
• Mohammed Zaid
• Francisco Becerra 
• Lizbeth Diaz
• Tianna Ortiz 
• Wuyi Heryadi
• Arif Ruslan

Polaris

The Polaris slate is focused on allocating more A.S. funds directly to students, including funding for student organizations and the efforts and events they want to pursue. Polaris also intends to address parking challenges, invest in student safety, and increase entrepreneurial resources for students. Here are the candidates running for Polaris:

Cabinet:

• Dylan Archer 
• Zakaria Kortam
• Alex Sun

Thrive

The Thrive slate outlines five key issues in its platform: equity in action, transforming campus life, empowering student voices, building a stronger future — which is focused on helping students succeed post-grad — and stronger together. Here are the candidates running for Thrive: 

Cabinet:

• Omar Salazar Fernandez
• Guadalupe Barrera

Senators:

• Alicia Fehlman
• Emily Nguyen
• Elena Padilla Macias
• Mayani Bowens
• Alicia Schmerold

Tritons Together

The Tritons Together slate proposes its “Path to Progress,” a policy platform composed of 10 defining actions with the goal of building “effective and transparent student leadership.” These 10 actions include: protections for marginalized students, reversing University budget cuts on research, establishing a student media union, redesigning student organization recruitment and funding, and increasing student government transparency. Tritons Together has candidates running for all positions except EVP, VP of External, VP of Academic Affairs, and International Senator. Here are the candidates running for Tritons Together:

Cabinet:

• Ivan Ramirez

Senators:

• Noa Reyzblat
• Kiana Pereira
• Ethan Shih
• Elijah Dukhovny
• Gilad Segal 
• Amanda Obedian 
• Cooper Levinson 
• Kyle Gilbert 

Independent Candidates

Sarah Aranda for President

Aranda is running on the platform of supporting student organizations, protecting undocumented students, improving campus safety, and increasing administrative accessibility to ensure student voices are heard. As a first-generation, Mexican-American student, Aranda’s platform intends to support and uplift marginalized student communities. Aranda has previously been involved in Summer Bridge, Mentor Collective, and La Familia de UCSD, and was an intern for the Raza Resource Centro.

Sofia Earley for VP of External

If elected, Earley intends to focus on a number of key areas including basic needs, lower tuition and fees, student empowerment, and community outreach. Earley has three years of experience working in the Office of External Affairs — with two as the director of staff — and has held positions on A.S. and Marshall College Council. 

Tanishq Jain for Off-Campus Senator

Jain is running independently and intends to draw on personal experience to address issues of parking, housing costs, transportation, and limited commuter spaces on campus. 

Christopher Rodriguez for Transfer Senator

Rodriguez is running on an independent platform focused on connecting transfer students with the campus community. He hopes to implement a more robust support system to ensure transfer students can make the most of their academic and social experiences.