Meet the SGA candidates

_{Kourtnie Hernandez, the Student Government Association program coordinator, is shown outside the Student Union on the Edinburg campus during an event to encourage students to connect and learn about candidates. SGA elections will take place April 1-4. Jose Medina/THE RIDER}

Thursday, the Student Government Association met Vaqueros on the Student Union North Patio to connect, network and meet the candidates running for the executive team and senate.  

Kourtnie Hernandez, adviser for the Student Government Association, said the organization advocates for the student body.

“The student government is the voice for the student body, so it is really important that we do have students that represent the different people across the university,” Hernandez said.

Civil engineering senior Jose L. Tabarez Jr. is running for reelection for senator for College of Engineering & Computer Science.

“One of my missions is just to increase involvement from the college of engineering and the student body in general, as well as provide transparency from the university to the students and address any additional issues on campus, such as transportation related to parking or just bike lanes,” Tabarez Jr. said.

Presidential candidate and psychology junior Odalys Saenz is seeking reelection. 

Saenz’s executive ticket consists of biomedical science senior Juana Elena Jimenez L., who would serve as external vice president, and music junior Gregorio J. Zuniga, as internal vice president.

Saenz wants to collaborate with students and make sure that everybody is heard.

“I’m running for reelection because I love what I do,” she said. “I love being that voice and collaborating with students.”

Alexis Uscanga Cadena, a mass communication sophomore and current senator-at-large for Edinburg, is running for internal vice president on Executive Ticket 2. 

Cadena is working on a legislation tracker to hold the student government accountable.

“We want to work to make sure to include more transparency bills,” he said. “One that we’re currently working on, and hopefully it gets passed this senate meeting, is a legislation tracker, which will hold us accountable for anything that we pass or don’t pass, or things that we’re doing or not doing.”

Executive Ticket 2 also consists of Noah Trstenjak, a philosophy senior who is running for president, and Mikaela Johnson, a biology senior, for external vice president.

Voting begins April 1 and ends April 4 via email. Students should receive emails with the subject line “SGA General Election: Vote Now.”

_{Alexis Uscanga Cadena, a mass communication sophomore and current senator at-large for the Student Government Association, is seeking election as internal vice president on Executive Ticket 2. Jose Medina/THE RIDER}

Candidates for the senate are

–Otweduampong-ba Ewuradwoa Nketiah, senator for the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship

–David Salinas, senator for the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship

–Laura Reyes,  senator for the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship

–Ximena Larios, senator for College of Education & P-16 Integration

–Norma Escalante, candidate for senator for College of Engineering & Computer Science

–Ingridy Foltran, candidate for senator for College of Engineering & Computer Science

–Jose L. Tabarez Jr., candidate for senator for College of Engineering & Computer Science

–Dante Solano, candidate for senator for College of Engineering & Computer Science

–Sergio Gonzalez-Eymard, candidate for senator for College of Health Professions

–Andrea Maldonado, candidate for senator for College of Liberal Arts

–Eliseo Zavala, candidate for senator for College of Liberal Arts

–Juan Pablo Hernandez, candidate for senator for College of Sciences

–Grace Peña, candidate for senator for College of Sciences

–Kayla White, candidate for senator for the School of Nursing

–Samsunnahar Bipasha, candidate for graduate senator

–Khondoker Hossain, candidate for graduate senator

–Courtney MacNeil, candidate for graduate senator

–Christian Alvarado, senator-at-large for Brownsville

–Juan Longoria, senator-at-large for Brownsville

–Hannah Martinez, senator-at-large for Brownsville

–Andrea Gaytan, senator-at-large for Edinburg

–Skyler Howell, senator-at-large for Edinburg

–Richard Reimer, senator-at-large for Edinburg

_{Juana Elena Jimenez L. is the current Student Government Association vice president for External Affairs. Jimenez L. is seeking reelection on Executive Ticket 1. Students running for office participated Thursday in the Meet the Candidates event on the Student Union North Patio on the Edinburg campus. Jose Medina/THE RIDER}