19 Mar Titans Let their Voices be Heard: Meet the 2025-26 ASI Election Winners
Cal State Fullerton’s Associated Students Inc. (ASI) has certified the winners of its 2025-26 student election for ASI President, Vice President and college Board of Directors.
“This is the work of many years of students who have dedicated their time to serving the university and their peers to make sure that students of tomorrow have a better experience,” said ASI Student Government Director Rebecca Hesgard.
The 2025-26 leadership will be headed by President Haneefah Syed, a third-year student from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences studying English, and Vice President Juan Salguero a third-year student from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences studying political science.
“This was a long and competitive election process, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I want to extend my gratefulness to the other candidates for being respectful for this whole process,” Syed said. “One of the first things I want to do is talk about student wellness more on a personable level with our student body.”
Salguero reflected on the success of student engagement in the election and the importance of maintaining that momentum. Together, they aimed to foster a campus environment where students felt both supported and involved in the broader ASI community.
“I think that it’s evident that our efforts paid off,” Salguero said. “I’m glad that collectively students united to vote and that student engagement was high this year. As a commuter on campus, I want to make sure students are participating in ASI events, campus resources and student opportunities.”
Additionally, the students elected to the Board of Directors are:
- College of the Arts – Sarah Komiya and Joshua Lopez.
- College of Business and Economics – Shay Quock and Pinar Okan.
- College of Communications – Jenny Guzman and Luca Romero.
- College of Education – Mahak Ahmad.
- College of Engineering and Computer Science – Armando Salazar and Yashwanth Reddy Mallareddygari.
- College of Health and Human Development – Deniz Suzer and Luisa Camarillo.
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences – Joe Morales and Edwin Valdez.
- College of Natural Science and Mathematics – Liam Ryals and Ahmed Mohamed.
A total of 2,208 Titan cast their votes this election, a 38 percent increase over last year.
“I feel very honored,” Ryles said. “One thing I want to focus on in my role is increasing diversity in my college and diversification of research.”
the 2024-2025 Board of Directors at their Installation Ceremony. / Credit: ASI CSUF Marketing, Communication, and Design
Student governance at CSUF plays a vital role in shared governance and empowering students to actively participate in university decision-making. ASI’s executive leadership and Board of Directors represent the diverse interests of the student body, overseeing the corporation’s operations and ensuring that student voices are integral to policy development.
Through ASI participation, students develop leadership skills and gain practical governance experience, preparing them for future civic engagement.
“The candidacy competition this year has been impactful as there were so many great students vying for various forms of student advocacy, all to make CSUF a better campus,” said ASI Elections Director and CSUF senior DJ Giacchino. “I think this election was a rather important one.”
While participating in the campaigning process was familiar to incumbents on the Board of Directors, it was a completely new experience for newcomers.
“As a first-year (student), I’m very surprised at my win, but honored that so many people already know me,” Komiya said. “I know it’s a huge problem that art students are graduating within five to six years, so I want to help advocate and propose solutions so students can graduate within four years.”
The elected student leaders will play a key role in creating positive change by representing students and working with campus leaders and faculty to improve student life and the campus experience.