Cedric Jones
President
I have always had a strong passion for student government, as I’m eager to implement a positive change not only at Parkland, but in our world. I think student voice is the best vehicle to drive any cause, because at the end of the day it’s not about me becoming president, or about what this does for me. I believe the ultimate goal is creating the best experience at parkland for each and every student. So that’s why I vow to do everything in my power to be your representative, and have a listening ear to any issue, from anyone who may have one. I’ve had the fortunate honor to serve on many boards, and committees around Champaign County. These include the Champaign unit 4 school board, the Champaign county community action board, and many others. In all of these groups, I represented young people and worked to provide different and effective opportunities and programs for them. I’ve also had the opportunity to be elected the governor of Illinois American legion’s Boys State 2014 program, African American club president, and be a member of many other clubs and community service groups.
My primary goal as not only president, but as a person, is to make sure that every student is treated equally. Regardless of race, religion, sex, gender, disability, or economic status. You should have the same great experience at parkland as the next person. I also want to instill a sense of parkland pride in our community. Truth be told, we have a great college, with great students, professors and staff; and I believe they all deserve recognition for their tremendous service. I hope you all vote Cedric Jones for president in the next election. For Parkland, for Pride, and for importance.
Crystal Bates
Senator
I have a strong desire to become your Student Senator at Parkland to lend a voice to non-traditional students who are also parents, such as myself. The 2015-2016 year is my junior year at Parkland on my journey to acquire my Associates Degree in Social Work. My desire to help and be a strong voice for those who may not felt heard runs deep, and as your Senator, I promise to listen and lend credence to your concerns as students; helping to bring about changes that not only better the lives of our students but also better the overall experience for all persons at Parkland. I am a Navy veteran, and I have disabilities. I am involved with our community, helping tutor and mentor students from the Urbana APL program, where I was a graduate, and was the keynote speaker at our 2012 graduation ceremony. I became a Dean’s List recipient in the spring of 2015. I was a board member for Frances Nelson and SmileHealthy Dental for two years. I had to resign my position, as child care was an issue for me at the time. Which leads me to the change I have envisioned for Parkland. As a single parent of children too old for our child care services offered through Parkland, I would like to start a Parent Co-op Program that would allow parents to attend their classes even when their children are not in classes. My children average eight days of classes out, while my classes are still held. I would like to have a safe place for my children to be while I attend my classes and maintain my academic set standard. I am asking for your vote so that I may help empower your academic success and voice.
Donia Abdulrazak
Senator
My name is Donia and I would like to run for senator. This is my first year at parkland so I am still getting the hang of finding myself around. Starting off as a senator I think will be great experience for me to actually get to know what goes on in the student government. I would be more then proud to be a senator because I as a person just love being involved and giving new ideas and putting thoughts out there and even if they are not being used it makes other people brain storm even bigger and better. I am open to ideas from all over whether it was a parkland student, student government or even someone who graduated parkland because all ideas are important no matter where they come from because thoughts have been said out loud and that’s what got us into the generation we are in today. I honestly don’t know much about parkland but I know there can be much more things to improve. When there is ever a major problem I am very calm about it and make sure I work together with other people who know about the situation and solve it the right way. I wish to be view as part of the student government as well as representing Parkland College.
Kelly Cuevas
President
My name is Kelly Cuevas. I am a full time student here at Parkland. I also work for the office of Student Life. Last semester I participated in student organizations such as Pre-Law Club and the Comadre & Compadre program, which is a Latino-oriented mentoring program. Additionally, this semester I also started working for the iConnect Peer Mentoring program. Through these programs I have learned leadership skills that will help me in this role I would like to take as Student President. An issue I would like to focus on throughout my term as Student President is student involvement. I highly believe that it is very important that students participate in student organizations for it will help them develop more skills in school as well as make school a more comfortable learning environment. I believe that students who are more involved in college dedicate more time to their academics as well as have a more positive interaction with faculty and staff members and other students. Students will also create a network of people that can later be beneficial to their career building. Whether it’d be volunteering, one to one conversations, the reward of it is meaningful and worthwhile. It is true that Parkland offers a variety of student organizations for students to join, but I’d like to bring more organizations or events to get more students involved. This process will take time, effort, and money. As Student President, I am hopeful to bring that to the table in order to get more student involvement on campus. Also, Parkland has a diverse campus, so through the involvement of students in these different organizations each student will be exposed to new cultures and ideas to help each create a more personalized college experience.
Ruben Aguilar
Hello, my name is Ruben Aguilar and I am running for the position of Senator. In high school, I was very involved in student organizations. My senior year, I was the secretary for Student Council and the drum major for marching band; I grew not only as a leader, but also as a person through both positions. I believe I am of very well fit for this position because of my sense of organization and commitment. When I commit to something, I evaluate every possibility and make sure I will be able to carry on with what I have committed. This position requires promptness and dedication, I am going to fulfill this requirement as well. One of my biggest concerns is that many young adults are unaware. Unaware of their surroundings, unaware of their rights, unaware of important issues and the list continues. During this term, I want to make sure that students are aware of the decisions being made that affect us all. Being a voice for the student body is great, but as a senator, I will do much more. It would be a great honor to serve as your senator during this coming term. To do this, however, I need your support; I encourage you to vote for me, Ruben Aguilar, when the elections arrive. Thank you.
