Voting has started for San Diego City College’s 2024-2025 Associated Students Government. Students have until May 5 to fill out the ballots sent to their school emails.
Here are the five candidates that will make up next year’s ASG.
NARLY DALIA RAMIREZ – ASG PRESIDENT
Narly Dalia Ramirez is a political science and journalism major. As a first-generation citizen who has lived in both Mexico and the U.S., she always felt like she was caught between worlds. It wasn’t until she began attending City College as a dual-enrollment student in high school that she felt like she found her place.
Ramirez has been active in her community since a young age. She has been involved with the Aztlan Youth Brigade and All for Logan. At City, she’s an active member of M.E.Ch.A and an intern for the American Federation of Teachers. Last year, she served as the ASG Chief Administrator.
She thinks there is untapped potential in ASG to help and protect students.
“I believe the position can be used as an act of advocacy for student needs,” Ramirez said. “So my plan is to use that voice to speak up. Hear what the students have to say and be the megaphone.”
TYRA LAWLEY – STUDENT SENATE PRESIDENT
Tyra Lawley grew up in Imperial Beach. Like many City students, she did not know what she wanted to study when she first arrived on campus. She was able to narrow her interests and is now planning to major either in sociology with a minor in journalism, or interdisciplinary studies.
Lawley is interested in eventually going into politics and was drawn to ASG as a chance to learn about how governance works on a small scale.
She also brings a talent for listening in finding compromise.
“I’m the youngest of three and I was always the mediator of the arguments between my siblings,” Lawley said. “So I can listen to both sides then see if there’s a good path straight down the middle.”
Lawley is a disabled student, giving her a unique understanding of her respective community. She lives with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disease. Because the disease is not visible to the outside world, Lawley sometimes had trouble explaining her condition to professors. To correct this, she feels it is critical to have more students with disabilities making decisions and advocating for students.
SERGIO MONTIEL – INTER-CLUB COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Sergio Montiel is a history and Chicano studies major from Chula Vista. When he started at City College in 2016 after graduating high school, he was undecided on what he wanted to study.
Getting involved in the Chicano studies program gave him the purpose and direction he had lacked. After taking time off during the pandemic, Montiel is back and hoping to help bring life back to campus.
Community is very important to Montiel, something that became clear to him during the COVID pandemic. Last year he got involved with M.E.Ch.A. and began attending ICC meetings. He wants to make the ICC a more active presence on campus to help re-establish the connections that were lost during the pandemic.
“The ICC is a driving force through club rushes and other events that they organize,” Montiel said. “They encourage students to participate in clubs and through clubs you get a bigger sense of like ‘oh, this place can be really important to me.’”
MICHELLE ROMERO – GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER
Michelle Romero grew up in Wisconsin, moved to Mexico and then eventually landed in San Diego. She is currently studying political science and public policy in the hopes of one day serving in Congress or as a state representative.
Romero’s experience living on both sides of the border and having undocumented family members gives her an understanding of how to advocate for the City College community, which is 48% Latino and includes undocumented students.
Romero looks forward to her role representing ASG at the regional level as well as increasing student engagement on campus.
“I want to be a voice of those communities,” Romero said. “A lot of students, unfortunately, don’t know what ASG is or what they do.”
“I feel like being able to inform them would be great,” Romero said, “working as a liaison between the students and the college.”
ANDREW WHITE – PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
Andrew White is back at ASG after taking some time off from school. The navy veteran was the Government Affairs Officer in 2019.
White is a communications major who hopes to eventually go into publishing. He has completed three books, the first of which he plans to publish through his company, Dark Scribe Publishing.
White believes ASG can be a tool for students to make change on campus and give insight into processes that happen behind the scenes. He believes his skills as a writer and communicator will allow ASG to raise awareness and increase student involvement.
“I think history shows that students and student government have a lot of sway,” White said. “It’s a level of government where you actually have potential to see physical and specific changes happen right before you.”
