Below you will find candidate information as part of the 2026 student government elections. Students can vote starting April 6 - 10, 2026 via Triton Link. For more information about the election, please visit the elections page or contact the Marshall College Elections Manager and Marshall College Elections Representative at drieta@ucsd.edu.
Hi! I’m Tianlai (she/her), a second-year Molecular Biology major, and I'm excited to run as your Chair!
My Goals:
My Experience:
As a student, I believe in the power of students’ voices in pushing for a stronger, connected community within Thurgood Marshall College. It’s been a year since the new Thurgood Marshall College community was established, and it’s definitely felt like a nice and welcoming environment for current scholars and incoming scholars. I aim to continue to grow a sense of belonging among students.
My mission is to continue bridging the gap between students and leadership to ensure that the student body’s voices are heard: by advocating for students, fostering community, and ensuring the well-being of students on our campus. By prioritizing inclusivity, transparency, and advocacy, I can ensure that students' needs are met and appreciated.
Furthermore, I hope to nurture a true community of action. Through initiatives such as creative programming, educational opportunities, and campus-wide events, I aim to empower students within the college community in each and every moment. I want to make sure that students feel like they have everything they need to be successful Scholars & Citizens in Thurgood Marshall College. Through strong communication with faculty, staff, and the broader community of UCSD, we can create a space where education, citizenship, and action can be displayed.
I’m here to advocate, unite, inspire, and proudly represent a diverse community. I want to create meaningful, lasting impacts and build important relationships with students.
Our voices are strong. We are Scholars & Citizens. Your vote is important. We are Thurgood Marshall College.
Hello from across the screen! I know our attention spans are short and we all have something else to do, so I’ll keep this concise and worthwhile.
Bluntly, here’s my story. As a transfer student, this was my first year on campus, and it was not easy. From the moment I arrived, my top priority was simple: meet as many people as possible. I put my name on every list, applied to every opportunity, and followed just about everything on Insta with “UCSD” in its username.
Transfers are placed in a unique social position. By the time we arrive, many communities are already formed, and finding your place can feel difficult. Fortunately, I found mine through the Thurgood Marshall College Student Council. Being part of TMCSC opened doors that would not have been possible otherwise, and it gave me a community I’m proud to represent.
This year, I served as Chair of the STAC Committee, where my team and I managed a $120,000 budget and worked to address student needs related to transportation. From expanding bike parking to improving transit accessibility, our work was rooted in listening and responding to real student concerns. Through my time on council, I also served on the internal committee, where I had the opportunity to learn from our current Vice Chair Internal, Dani. I experienced firsthand what it means to feel supported as a general member, and that is something I am committed to carrying forward.
My priority is to create an environment where every council member feels comfortable speaking up, contributing, and building meaningful connections. When people feel valued, they perform at their best, and that translates directly into how we serve our student body.
I am competitive by nature, and I take pride in the fact that Marshall has gone undefeated in college-wide competitions this year. I plan to keep it that way. I will do everything I can to ensure our council feels supported, motivated, and united so we can continue to represent Marshall at the highest level. I don't want to lose our bragging rights!
Thank you for your time : )
Hello everyone! My name is Vicky (she/her) and I’m a first year International Studies - Political Science major from Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I am so grateful for this opportunity to run to be your Vice Chair External!
Some of my goals are to:
My experiences:
I'm so excited to work toward improving student well-being, our school life, and strengthening community!
Hello hello!
My name is Violet (she/her), a first-year Mathematics-Economics student from Palos Verdes, CA, and I’m honored to run as your Director of Public Relations! I’m committed to social justice advocacy, especially LGBTQ+ and labor rights, making a difference through representation as much as structure, and ensuring students’ voices are heard and valued.
Goals:
Experience:
Check out my instagram for past work and what I stand for!
@violetwufordirectorpr
Hello! My name is Joanne (she/her) and I’m a second year Media Industries and Communication major passionate about running for my second term as Director of Programming!
My Goals:
My Experience:
Campus Involvements Outside of TMC:
Hi, my name is Kaylie (she/her), and I'm a Literatures in English major from the Bay Area!
My goals:
My experience:
Hi, my name is Mani Goldbach (he/him). I am a first-year public policy major from Berkeley! I am to expand and build upon my time within student council and bring a new meaning of EDI within Marshall College.
My goals as STUD EDI will be to be a voice for underrepresented communities within TMC, and I will approach any vote, question, or decision by taking into account the larger Marshall Community.
I plan on taking in more student input through regular surveys as a tool to be more equitable and bring student council closer to those we serve. Through this I aim on inviting local speakers to the Marshall community to engage with, bring awareness and foster conversation on important topics, to utilize the immense privilege we have to live within this new Marshall Housing.
Within council, I will continue to present my peers on council on different cultures and world events in order to foster a more knowledgeable and inclusive environment. Make sure committee members are being held accountable and supporting them with any organizational or logistical needs with experience on TMCSC, as well as plan large EDI events, collaborating with cross-campus centers and multicultural communities.
I hope to also restructure different positions on council to make them more effective or reflect new campus centers and the overall needs of our community.
My Experience:
To the students of Thurgood Marshall College,
Hello! My name is Trish Hoang (she/they/it) and I am running to be your Thurgood Marshall Student Council Cabinet Member Student-at-Large of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion!
To know a little about me, I am a first-year undergraduate studying Literary Arts with the minors of AAPI Studies and ASL. My intersectional identity includes many, but some key aspects are how I am a child-of-immigrant, first-generation Vietnamese Asian American, low-income, LGBTQ+, female, creative, advocate for mental health, and much more. I utilize my positionality in these communities and apply them to my life and my passion to help others.
As a current member of TMCSC, I serve as the OASIS Representative under the EDI Committee. This is a position that has yet to exist in the other college councils and has lacked expansion as a simple liaison role. As an OASIS student, being in programs such as Summer Bridge and Hope Scholars, as well as being part of the Office of Students with Disabilities work group, I understand the importance of minority and marginalized student groups needed to have a voice to express the needs that often go unnoticed. I have done my best to personally connect with OASIS and other EDI initiatives, but I want to do more.
As STUD EDI of TMCSC, I hope to expand the awareness of EDI to students at not only Marshall College, but UCSD as a whole. There are many EDI communities that I am a part of, and many that I am not. To have a central resource for information to celebrate the diversity of our students at TMC and UCSD would help strive for equity and the inclusion of these voices for their needs. This includes things such as an accessible digital calendar, possible physical graphics, a social media push, events catered for education and socializing, volunteering to our area, and much more.
Each marginalized minority group should be highlighted, rather than only some, especially at this time in the world. For example, I am working on personal projects to expand the Asian-American resources on campus with conversations with pro-staff, faculty, AS, and the local San Diego community. Hoping for progress on this goal, this will also lift up other marginalized minority groups that have struggled to gain the momentum in their representation. Together, our voices are louder with each important.
Thank you.
HEYYY MARSHALL!!
My name is Lezley Bahena Llamas (She/Her), and I’m a first-year, first-gen Latina in Marshall college studying International Relations Political Science! I’m from Escondido and currently living in Alianza.
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My Experience:
Have you noticed there’s nowhere on our new complex that welcomes visitors to our Thurgood Marshall College?
My name is Will Batkin and I’m running to change that. I’m a first year Marshall student majoring in Political Science. I have experience with working in AS, and I want to be your AS Senator to help us REFLECT on our Marshall college past and CONNECT us with the future! Here’s how we can do that:
Elect me as your AS Senator to represent you in your student government and to take advantage of this opportunity to build the Thurgood Marshall College you can share!
Introduction:
My name is Melania Stadnik, and I am a second-year student at Thurgood Marshall College double majoring in Political Science/Public Law and Business Psychology. I am running for Marshall Senator because I believe strong communities deserve strong representation. As a second-generation Ukrainian and someone that was directly affected by the war in Ukraine, I have witnessed the impact that strong representation can have on an overlooked community. Through trials and tribulations, I have immersed myself in my Ukrainian community by contributing to humanitarian efforts and doing everything in my power to reflect a resilient representation of the Ukrainian people onto my immediate environment. Although Marshall is a powerful and well-established community, students still deserve persistent, strong representation. I intend to build on such a foundation by strengthening how we operate. Effective representation and leadership require consistency, ownership and structure, which are at the core of my values. I know that I can effectively make that difference and represent my community at Marshall. I am not afraid of advocating for change and addressing systemic weaknesses, which has motivated me to be a Marshall representative.
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Hey Marshall People!
My name is Elyas Tejeda (He/Him/His), and I am a first-year, first-gen Latino student majoring in Political Science! I’m from the Inland Empire, now living in Alianza in the new Marshall build :)
Goals:
Like many first-generation students, neither of my parents had the ability to finish college or attain a degree because they had me when they were young. I’m the first in my family to ever be receiving a bachelor's degree and attend an esteemed public university. As a Latino student, I’ve realized that I need to find spaces where I can share my experiences and be myself. I joined TMCSC and learned how to be intentional about advocating for communities while also becoming conscious about the power I have within the institution. This understanding made me realize that my passion for advocacy is not limited to Marshall, but campus-wide. I want to lead AS in centering student experiences that empower all of us to become scholars and citizens.
Experience: