Two students are running to become Executive Vice President next year. The position leads the Government Affairs Council and assists the president with their duties, filling in when necessary.
Jordan Johnson is a political science major who has previously served as president of a similarly sized college.
Kureha Takayama has been the Director of Academic Affairs for the past year which made her want to learn more.
Jordan Johnson
Johnson served as president for the Associated Students of Yuba College from 2024-2025, where he represented over 9,000 students and helped manage a $100,000 budget.
“I loved being part of a student body that had a direct impact on student life,” he said.
Johnson said student engagement is not currently as high as he wants it to be, pointing to a lack of attendance in feedback sessions and Associated Student meetings. He wants to create more opportunities for students to meet AS members outside of the election season and spread information on things like how students can try to add items to agendas.
Johnson said he’s planning to research which parts of the student population have the least involvement in student government and make an outreach effort to further publicize what the Associated Students does and how its decisions will affect students.
Johnson is an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation. On campus, he’s worked as a student assistant in the Tribal Relations Office and as the social justice and equity director for the Community Affairs Committee. Through these roles, he said he’s learned a lot about time management and handling deadlines.
“I don’t see my community in everyday life,” he said. “I want to be the representative voice for Native people. It’s not as prominent as it should be, and it would make Chico State a stronger community.”
Johnson has been endorsed by Chico State Pride.
Johnson is a political science major with three legal internships under his belt, including one with Chico State’s Community Legal Information Center. Johnson has also had an internship under California Assembly member James Ramos, who is the first Native American elected to the California Legislature. This summer, he will work as an intern in the U.S. Senate and help form federal policy.
Johnson is also a competitor on the Speech and Debate Team and is a four-time national qualifier.
Kureha Takayama
Kureha Takayama has been a voting member on the Academic Senate over the past year after being elected as director of Academic Affairs.
“I want to bring my voice into the decision making,” Takayama said. “I have the experience of an international student, a transfer student and a low-income student.”
As chair of the Student Academic Senate, Takayama noticed a lack of representation among students with non-declared majors. She’s currently trying to help change policy so that there can be a student senator representing that population.
Takayama explained that part of the Executive Vice President’s role is to help determine how the AS activity fee is disbursed across campus.
If elected, one of Takayama’s goals is to increase resources for international students, noting that there are fewer scholarships and a lack of work opportunities available, but a higher tuition.
“With all the political stuff happening, more visas are getting denied,” Takayama said. “Our population is going down.”
Takayama wants to see if a small part of the AS activity fee — which all students pay each semester — could go toward supporting international students.
“I think my biggest strength is I’m not going in blind, I know who is in charge of what,” Takayama said. “I’ve learned lessons and experienced difficulties in Academic Affairs.”
Takayama is majoring in computer information systems and is minoring in business administration, communication studies and cybersecurity. She’s the founder of the Board Game Club, vice president of the Global Student Society and a co-leader of Japanese Conversation Hour. Takayama transferred from Butte College and is an international student from Kyoto, Japan.
On Wednesday, every Chico State student will receive an email with a link to the ballot. The link will also be available here on its website. You will need to sign in with your Chico State login to access the ballot.
Correction: Takayama is a voting member on the Academic Senate and the chair of the Student Academic Senate, previous reporting mislabeled the two roles.
Anthony Vasek can be reached at [email protected]
