Twenty minutes before Teresita Rios saw the election result, she received a phone call from her older brother in Mexico saying that she is now aunt for the first time. After that, Rios learned that she was the Associated Students president for the 2016-17 academic year at Moorpark College.
“I’m super excited and happy when I saw the result,” Rios said. “I’m ready to work. I’m going to do my best and I’ll honor my office to the best of my ability.”
Rios, 20, political science major, is very excited to begin making the changes she discussed during her campaign, beginning with pressing for changes to the campus cafeteria and food vendors as well as adding computer labs to more buildings.
“I actually want to work with the students, so I’m asking them what they want and … need to be comfortable,” she said. “I want to have this connection between them to make sure that I’m doing the right thing and so far I’ve been hearing about the cafeteria, better food and counselors. They definitely want a better counseling system.”
Some of her original plans were to improve campus life for students and offer more opportunities and accessibility to school services. But, while she was learning what the student body wanted, she discovered many students were calling out for a better cafeteria and more food options, such as gluten-free food vendor trucks as well as vegetarian and vegan options.
Students also expressed frustration with the current counseling office situation, such as the hassle involving phoning for appointments a week in advance. These are issues she has taken to heart and plans to try to fix.
Rios decided to run for president because of the accepting and supportive nature of the Moorpark students and faculty, who have welcomed her despite the fact that she is visually impaired.
“I want to give back to Moorpark because unfortunately there are a lot of places that don’t accept you,” she said. “They don’t give you opportunities because of your disability, but students at Moorpark have been very welcoming and I want to show that to the world. The students don’t just judge you. They want to see that you are capable. That’s also why I volunteer at ACCESS because they’ve been super supportive and I want to give back.”
Holly Ramsey, disabled student services technician at the ACCESS center, worked closely with Rios during her time volunteering at the center and had seen her interactions with the students she volunteered to help.
“She is excellent at helping students with disabilities,” Ramsey said. “She’s patient, she’s smart, she has a great attitude—all of the above! She’s really excited about being able to help students, and being able to show students the right path to take, and being a part of the student government.”
Rios’ passion for helping students is apparent in both her volunteer work and her attention to the needs of the students during her campaign. As her presidency begins, she expresses her gratitude toward those who voted for her, and looks forward to making a positive impact on campus.
“Thank you,” she said. “Endless thank yous. I will definitely get to work. We can do this, guys!”
