Angelina Pereda, the Associated Students director of legislative affairs, is trying to look out for the best interests of Chico State students.
Pereda, a junior political science major and sociology minor, has had an interest in student government from her days in middle and high school. At Chico State, her involvement in the freshmen leadership opportunity program exposed her to the government affairs office.
“I saw everything that these student officers were doing and I loved how they wanted to bring a positive change to campus,” Pereda said.
As the director of legislative affairs, Pereda tracks federal and state legislation that affects students in the California State University. She also takes part in lobby visits with state legislators and collaborates with the California State Student Association.
Earlier this semester, Pereda traveled to Washington, D.C. with the association to discuss legislative aid and federal student loan interest rates with the legislative aids of Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Doris Matsui.
“I try to represent our student body the best way I can on pieces of legislation and make sure it benefits us and doesn’t harm the students here,” Pereda said.
With the recent government shutdown, Pereda wants to give students a place to ask questions and voice their concerns in a student forum.
“I’ve seen in my classes that students want to talk about it, so why not give them a place to facilitate that discussion?” she said.
Pereda also wants to create a voter registration guide for students and take part in three lobby visits with the legislatures of Jim Nielson, Dan Logue and Doug LaMalfa.
A lobby visit is way to build relationships with representatives, Pereda said. It’s a discussion about how Chico State fits into the legislature’s agenda.
Pereda encourages students to voice their concerns about anything related to legislature.
“The toughest part is getting students involved,” she said. “I really need to hear their needs and concerns so I know what to advocate for.”
The legislative affairs council meets every other Monday in Bell Memorial Union 205 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Sharon Martin can be reached at [email protected] or @SharonBMartin on Twitter.
