Bailey Ham, Flor Ibarra and Jace Williams are running for College of Agriculture senator in the 2024 Associated Students general election. To read more about each candidate, see below.
Bailey Ham
Bailey Ham is in her second year as an agricultural science and education major and is running to be the senator for the college of agriculture.
She said she “doesn’t come from an agriculture background.” Ham was born in Arizona before her family moved to Grass Valley when she was 12, which gave her insight into the agricultural field while in high school.
When she was 14, she decided to “start her own dairy farm,” and began her career within the agricultural business. Additionally, she won the State Proficiency in Goat Farming within California while still in high school, eventually winning fourth in the same national event.
This all feeds into her passion for the Future Farmers of America program, since it was so influential as she grew up in Grass Valley. Even today, Ham works under the FFA, presenting the program to hundreds of young students about what the program does and how it can help them.
With this passion for agriculture, she seeks to become senator of the college to bring this experience with the FFA to the position. It also helps define her platform, as Ham has focused her campaign on increasing student outreach, and improving connections between Chico State and the greater agricultural community within Butte County.
Additionally, Ham wants to break down barriers to her college. She said there “is no typical College of Ag student,” and went on to say that not all agriculture students wear cowboy boots and hats. She expressed that she wants to help make the agriculture college grow, and that goal is one of her major goals as a potential senator.
Ham said that the hardest part of the position is her inexperience with the student government side of things. While she has worked with FFA, and with the student housing department at Chico State, she has limited experience in such a macro level of leadership. Still, she hopes to have more events, partnerships and even reach out to the local agricultural community to help connect students and farmers.
But Bailey Ham is not business and work all the time. In her off-time, she and her friends head out to the local thrift stores and enjoy thrifting. Her personal favorite is the 8th and Main Antique Center.
Despite her inexperience running for student government, Ham has sought out other senators and members of the Associated Students to learn how to run effectively, and what is going to be required of her. She says that while this might be a challenge, she does not “see challenges as barriers or stopping points, but as growing abilities.”
For information on Ham and her campaign, go to her Instagram page or go here.
Flor Ibarra was reached out to, but a response was not received.
For more information on Ibarra, go to her Instagram page or go here.
Jace Williams was reached out to, but a response was not received.
For more information on Williams, go to his Instagram page or go here.
To learn more about the College of Agriculture senator duties, go here.
Voting for the 2024 AS general elections will open on April 4 at 8 a.m. and will close on April 5 at 8 a.m.
A link will be sent out to all Chico State students via school emails when voting opens.
Maki Chapman can be reached at [email protected].
