Associated Students at the University of New Mexico presidential candidate Julián Ángel (ballot #1) is a junior studying Chicanx and Latin American Studies.
Ángel was inspired to run for ASUNM President because he believes the ASUNM President's positions to UNM’s diversity, student support services and connection to state legislation provides tools to improve the Lobo experience through a community effort, he said.
“Each of us truly defines all of us. To be a community member is to be kind, move with grace and be dedicated to la causa,” Ángel said.
During his time at UNM, Ángel has been involved with El Centro de la Raza, the New Student Orientation Program, and the College Assistance Migrant Program, according to Ángel’s campaign Instagram.
“ASUNM urgently needs a more comprehensive evaluation process for such positions, prioritizing qualifications and cultural sensitivity, particularly within Ethnic Studies,” Ángel wrote in a letter to the editor submitted to the Daily Lobo in November.
Within ASUNM, Ángel has served as El Centro’s Joint Council representative, finance senator, and the outreach & events chair.
Ángel’s academic experience includes research as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, an El Puente Research Fellow, and a Rural Student Project Scholar. His research interests include educational policy, Latinx-serving institutions, and migrant and rural education, according to his campaign Instagram.
In his letter from November, Ángel also wrote he is committed to addressing issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion at ASUNM, and he worked to create “culturally relevant programs to support Latinx students” while serving as a Program Assistant at El Centro.
“ASUNM urgently needs a more comprehensive evaluation process for such positions, prioritizing qualifications and cultural sensitivity, particularly within Ethnic Studies,” Ángel wrote in a letter to the editor submitted to the Daily Lobo in November.
Within ASUNM, Ángel has served as El Centro’s Joint Council Representative, Finance Senator, and the Outreach and Events Chair.
Ángel’s academic experience includes research as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, an El Puente Research Fellow and a Rural Student Project Scholar. His research interests include educational policy, Latinx-serving institutions and migrant and rural education, according to his campaign Instagram.
Raised in the Hatch Valley, Ángel described himself as “a product of the tireless labor that is worked in the Valley.” Ángel is also a first-generation Chicano in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, and said that this experince informed him of the “importance of Ethnic studies and how we can advance UNM's low-income, first-generation, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities to ensure retention rates at the flagship of the southwest.”
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The most important issue for ASUNM to address in the upcoming academic year is food scarcity and the inflation of basic necessities at UNM, which can be addressed at the state level, via lobbying the state legislation for funds, Ángel said.
If Ángel is elected, he would make a “legislative push to increase food options on campus and advocate for social workers who specialize in food access and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” he said.
ASUNM’s elections begin Wednesday, March 20 at 9 a.m. and close on Thursday, March 21 at 5 p.m., according to the ASUNM Elections Commission. Polling locations have yet to be announced.
Arly Garcia is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo
