By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs has named a new student regent to the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR).
The newest student regent, Felipe Garcia, is a Tucson native and rising junior studying political science and creative intelligence and innovation at the University of Arizona (UofA). Garcia will replace Arizona State University (ASU) student David Zaragoza.
“Felipe Garcia is committed to ensuring Arizona’s public university students succeed, and I am proud to appoint him to the Arizona Board of Regents,” said Hobbs. “As a student at the University of Arizona, Felipe will be an effective voice, working to ensure that students are represented in university decisions and they have regular updates and communications from the Board’s perspective.”
“On behalf of the board, we commend Governor Hobbs on her thoughtful selection of Felipe Garcia, an outstanding University of Arizona undergraduate, to be Arizona’s newest student regent,” said ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata in a statement. “Student regents serve as a crucial voice in shaping policies that directly impact students. Felipe’s perspective and dedication will be invaluable, and we eagerly anticipate his contributions to our work.”
Garcia is also a “Courage Fellow” with the gun control organization Giffords. Courage Fellows receive six months of gun control advocacy training.
Garcia formerly served on the Arizona Model United Nations, UofA’s Associated Students, and the Governor’s Youth Commission. Garcia also served as a youth commissioner for Hobbs’ Commission on Service and Volunteerism.
“I am incredibly honored to be chosen by Governor Hobbs to represent Arizona students,” said Garcia in a press release from the governor’s office. “I am excited to work with the Board to be a valuable resource for Arizona’s public universities.”
Student regents serve two-year terms; in their first year, student regents sit as non-voting members. The other student regent on the board to serve alongside Garcia is Northern Arizona University (NAU) student Jadyn Fisher. Like Garcia, Fisher was appointed with a background in gun control activism. Fisher organized a protest at her middle school to advocate for gun control and remember school shooting victims.
Last month, Zaragoza and Fisher opted to meet only with the Democratic members of Congress during their inaugural National College Attainment Network (NCAN) Leadership Summit: Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and Congressman Greg Stanton. The pair discussed federal financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), federal Pell Grants, and student mental health.
Zaragoza and Fisher were both nominated to ABOR by Hobbs.
The two student regents have convinced ABOR to dedicate more time and resources to mental health. Zaragoza and Fisher were integral to establishing ABOR’s Mental Health Workgroup. The workgroup will lead campus-wide listening sessions at the state’s three public universities to determine how the institutions can improve on their mental health initiatives and tailor them to students.
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