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Elizabeth Tinoco
School of Pharmacy
Second Year Student
Hello UCSF,
My name is Elizabeth Tinoco, a second-year pharmacy student, and I hope to serve you all as your student body president in the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year.
This year my primary role was to serve as the GPSA VP of Finance, wherein my objective was to set a budget that allowed students to have funding for events needed and wanted by the respective programs through RCOs and by the student community in general through GPSA. In conjunction with serving as the VP of Finance, I was also appointed the responsibility of chairing for the Chancellor’s Student Service Fee Advisory Committee and being the UCSF representative for the UC-wide Council of Student Fees. Actively participating in these roles gave me the opportunity to advocate for our campus’ needs as well as to listen to the satisfactions and dissatisfactions of our students. I was able to hear your opinions regarding the different departments at our school, including our Student Health and Counseling Services and Family Services units and was privileged enough to work with bright students along the way.
My goal this year was to give back to the students as much as possible, so that the fees we pay do not go unused and can instead be put towards events and resources that we students can use. It goes without saying that this cannot be achieved without the help of the entire GPSA board and without the voice of our student body! And with that, I hope to listen to your concerns and your ideas on how we can improve our campus.
That being said, I hope to continue my involvement in our student government and to represent our UCSF student community. My goal continues to be founded on giving back to our students. I intend to continue doing so by listening to your concerns, identifying and tackling any potential issues that may arise, and planning events and providing resources according to what the student body wants and needs. This means continuing fun events like Formal, Trivia Night, and Last Lecture, but also exploring other ideas that you may want to see!
Something I also hope to achieve next year is bringing visibility of GPSA to our student body. As an advocate for informed decision making, I believe it is only just for us as students to be aware of what GPSA stands for and how it carries the funds provided by students, and as such, I intend to tie this into the fun events prepared for next year!
Of course, my overarching objective is to form a more unified campus by providing events that allow for the different programs to come together, get to know each other, and learn from one another! In the end, my motivation stems from my desire to provide a positive environment for our student body. I look forward to an opportunity to form part of your support system and to work together in the betterment of our school.
Thank you!
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Benjamin Adam Catching
Graduate Division
Second Year Student
UCSF is unique for not only its quality of research and healing, but for its place in the University of California system. As part of the UC system, we must work with other campuses to communicate the needs of the graduate and professional students to the UC Regents, UC Office of the President (UCOP), and the California legislature. Over the past year in this position I have established relations with both other UC campuses and the powers that be to advocate on behalf of all UCSF students. In the position of the Vice President of External Affairs, Graduate Representative, I have worked the respective Professional Representative to convey a clear message of the primary issues affecting UCSF students; affordable housing, basic needs such as food security, professional guidance with an emphasis on high quality mentorship, mental health and wellness, and diversity among faculty and students. Through this position’s subsequent spot on the UC Graduate and Professional Council (UCGPC), the umbrella advocacy group for graduate and professional students, UCSF has been represented at meetings with the UC Regents and UCOP. Although UCGPC has only existed for less than two years, much has been accomplished by the group and there is still much to do. If I were to continue in this position I will ensure that graduate students’ interests are represented at UC Regents meetings, which take place at here at Mission Bay, at GPSA meetings, and to the rest of the University of California. My name is Benjamin Adam Catching and I would appreciate your vote for the position of the Graduate Representative.
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Sharleen Gill
School of Pharmacy
Second Year Student
Hi everyone! My name is Sharleen Gill. I’m a second year Pharmacy student. I would be honored to serve as your 2019-2020 Vice President of External Affairs-Professional Representative. Since entering UCSF, I have developed a great admiration for GPSA, as the organization has worked to find solutions to many problems that students face. Initiatives such as the Food Security for Students Program and UCSF Guaranteed Ride Home Program have left behind a significant impact on the lives of both myself and my peers, as they have aided in alleviating some of the stresses that come with living in an expensive city such as San Francisco. I would love to become more involved with GPSA and I want to work towards bettering the student experience by communicating student needs to the school and collaborating with other UC schools to come up with solutions to pertinent student problems. I have always been passionate about serving the needs of my peers and as your External Affairs Representative I hope to not only serve as the voice of the UCSF students but to also be your champion when it comes to having our voices heard. During my term, I hope to address issues such as bringing more affordable housing to students, maintaining funding for student organizations, and preventing any further tuition hikes. If elected, I will work vigilantly to stay up to date on relevant student issues so that I can advocate for your interests and rights.
Representation is extremely important, and I want to ensure that our voices are properly heard. I have previously served on the City of Santa Clara’s Youth Commission, an advisory board that is responsible for providing commentary and recommendation to City Council on all proposed laws that primarily affect the youth. During my term as a commissioner, I started the A.E.D. (Automatic External Defibrillator) committee after noticing a lack of devices present in the community. Through my position, I was able to produce an educational video on the importance of having A.E.D.s as well as raise over $2,000 to help fund the purchases of new defibrillators.
The communication and teamwork skills I developed by being a liaison between my peers and City Council will help me greatly in this position. I am committed to improving your experience here at UCSF and I plan to make a significant impact through collaboration, communication, and transparency. By using the skills that I have gained through my diverse experiences I will be able to relate student issues to administration. I will be at the forefront of positive change for our school. I thank you for the opportunity and hope that you will consider voting for me to serve as your External Affairs Representative.
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Janella Leano
Physical Therapy
Second Year Student
Hello everyone! My name is Janella (which rhymes with Nutella) and for the past two years, I have had the pleasure of serving as the GPSA Physical Therapy representative. My desire to advocate for my fellow students kept me attending almost every meeting since I started school. Now that it is my last year, I would love to utilize my experience and run for Vice President of Internal Affairs. As a VP of Internal Affairs, I will ensure that our students’ voices are heard on the UCSF campuses and in the SF community.
My goals as VP is to further build upon resources and GPSA events that have received positive commentary which include the various town halls, Trivia Night, the Massage Wellness event, Llama Therapy Day, and of course, UCSF Formal. I will aim to gather more student feedback and make sure the events are planned with careful thought and provide equal opportunities for all programs. In doing so, this will hopefully bring all programs together and break any barriers between us.
Due to my previous experience in GPSA, I have already established connections with the staff members that assist us in planning events and reaching out to the students. I currently work and volunteer for the UCSF Basic Needs and Food Services Program that hosts the Student Food Markets and runs the Food 4 Students Text App. I am also a First Gen student and am a member of FG2C where I play a vital role in advocating for the First Gen community. I am also very familiar with the structure of GPSA’s monthly meetings and the schedule of events for the whole school year. Using my additional four years of experience in student government from undergrad, I will continue utilizing my experiences to keep up with the flow and structure of GPSA, which I find vital when running for a board position.
I am committed to making UCSF a safer, friendlier, and more fun environment for students to strive in their future careers. I will strive to represent the student body as accurately as possible and promote success, unity, and advocacy within the UCSF campus.
Thank you for your consideration!
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Merva Razzak
School of Dentistry
Second Year Student
My name is Merva Razzak, I am a 2nd year dental student, and I am applying to be a candidate for the Vice President of Diversity Affairs.
I am running for this position because upholding an excellent standard of diversity in academic institutions is something I have always been passionate about. As a Muslim, Pakistani woman, my diverse background in higher education has often led me to feel like an outsider who does not belong or is not good enough. It was not until I embraced my identity did I realize that it was one of my strongest characteristics; it made me a unique candidate for UCSF and added to an ever-growing rich culture at the school. I want to serve so that I can pave the way for all students at UCSF to feel included and to know that they are an essential part of what makes this campus a leading healthcare institution.
During my time as an undergraduate student at UCLA, I served as the President of the Pakistani Student Association, where I learned how to coordinate and execute large scale events, develop camaraderie among various students, as well as enable my peers to embrace their unique identities as their strengths rather than weaknesses. I also had the privilege of serving as a Multicultural Director for a student government (USAC) office at UCLA, where I co-led a pilot program for the first Multicultural Center on campus, organized the first religion-based student tours from a general representative office, and led many more events to foster student diversity.
If elected, my goals will highlight promoting an inclusive environment for all students. I want the office of Diversity Affairs to be one that students from all schools feel comfortable approaching for an amalgam of issues. My goals include, but are not limited to, unifying the campus across the schools by encouraging greater interprofessional participation at quarterly events. I would love to continue expanding on the Annual Student Leadership Forum on Diversity, as well as further develop the newly formed Interprofessional Diversity & Equity Alliance (IDEA) to promote consistent communication amongst the schools. In an effort to increase transparency with the students, I will promote a central location where students can access information regarding school-based protocols on issues such as religious accommodations, submit suggestions, apply for student-led initiatives to increase interprofessional collaboration, access scholarship resources, and more. I also plan on working with the rest of the executive council to further progress currents efforts to promote food security, sustainable housing, and mental health initiatives.
As the Vice President of Diversity Affairs, I will prioritize supporting and listening to student voices and concerns; it is in celebrating our differences that we can achieve a strong student base and ultimately promote a better campus climate.
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