Elections for The Associated Students of Rio Hondo College are happening now. The ASRHC student government is the students’ voice among the Rio Hondo administration. Seventeen candidates are running for eight offices, including president.

El Paisano News and its staff do not endorse any candidate in ASHRC.

On Monday, nine candidates (and one spokesperson) met in the Student Union for a campaign forum. There, they stated why they are for running for office, as well as their campaign pledges. Students were also able to ask questions to candidates about what they would do if elected.

All four candidates for president were there. Tiffany Nunez, Matthew Mangoba, Alejandro Robles, and a stand-in for Lorena Gonzalez spoke (Gonzalez was not there due to a family emergency). Both Nunez and Gonzalez are current members of ASRHC as vice-president and senator of community service. Meanwhile, Mangoba shared a personal story about his grandfather as an example of trust and determination.

Arlette Raigosa and Rosario Gonzalez are the candidates for vice-president. Raigosa said that her main goal as vice-president is inclusivity. “I want to make sure we build a strong community and empower each other,” Raigosa said. After her speech, Gonzalez fielded a question about how the school advertises student events. Gonzalez said that if elected, she would like ASRHC to hold more student forums. “I’m a little more old school, so talking to people, presenting myself… Social media is great, but you don’t always check it when you’re in class.”

Ruben De Paz is the only candidate for public relations, so he shared his deftness to learn quickly. Guatemalan-born and raised in Mexico, De Paz said he understands the trouble of not having “advanced resources.” “I would like to help the students be more involved on campus,” De Paz said.

Maria Higuera was the only one of five candidates for senator-at-large at the forum. Higuera echoed the theme of inclusion. “[Rio Hondo] is a community college, and most people just go home thinking it’s not a place where they can be involved, but they can…,” Higuera said.

Candidates ended the forum by answering questions. One student asked each candidate for president about how their areas of study will help them in office. Alejandro Robles is studying political science and philosophy. Robles said they are “studies of people and how they govern themselves.”

Students can cast their votes through May 3 on AccessRIO.