Ariana Lacson Steps into Role as President of Associated Students’ Board of Directors

Associated Students’ Board President Ariana Lacson in front of the A.S. House, excited to kick off the new 2024-2025 school year. © 2024 SJSU, photo by Grace Austin, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ariana Lacson, ’25 Biomedical Engineering, first began her journey with Associated Students’ (A.S.) Board of Directors during her freshman year. 

As a new arrival at San José State, Lacson felt that A.S. would be a great way to step out of her comfort zone and do something meaningful in community with other students. 

A.S. is a 501(c)3 non-profit auxiliary organization on campus that advocates for and supports student voices. It consists of a Board of Directors made up entirely of students, along with nine different departments, such as the César E. Chávez Community Action Center and the Child Development Center.  

Lacson started out as a student at large for A.S. Lobby Corps in 2021, tasked with working with other students to make recommendations to the A.S. Board of Directors about any pending state and federal legislation that might concern SJSU. During her sophomore year, she ran for director of co-curricular affairs – and won the election.  

“I liked what Associated Students was all about,” says Lacson. “I really felt like I was contributing and giving back to the community.” 

During Lacson’s junior year, she became vice president; and most recently, in June, she officially stepped into her new role as president of the A.S. Board of Directors. 

“I didn’t know I’d be in this position right now,” says Lacson. “I just knew I wanted to do more.” 

Top Priorities 

Lacson has a few main priorities that will inform how she starts the 2024-2025 school year. 

First, she’d like to increase outreach to students and make sure that their needs are being met. Lacson is in the midst of planning various town halls with affinity groups on campus to get a sense of what different issues need to be addressed. She’d also like to do what she can to help increase the number of students who get involved with recognized student organizations on campus. 

“I was a commuter student when I started as a freshman, and it was hard to make friends and find a sense of community,” says Lacson. “I joined my sorority during freshman year and it helped expand my network and influenced me to join Associated Students. I want that experience for other students.” 

Lacson plans to do all she can to advocate for students at San José State, as well as system-wide at the California State University (CSU) level. 

Based on what she is seeing and hearing from her fellow students, she feels that finances are the biggest challenge. 

“I know the university is going through a deficit and along with the compounding interest of tuition, that is all putting a strain on everyone,” says Lacson. “We don’t want our students to worry about going to college in the first place because of finances.” 

Having seen past A.S. presidents like Sarab Multani, ’25 Public Health, and Nina Chuang, ’23 Nutrition and Food Science, in action, Lacson aims to continue both of their legacies and initiatives. 

“I’m excited to expand my outreach,” says Lacson. “As VP last year, I took on an internal role – team building, team bonding and leadership development. Now I get to meet with administration and student groups.”

When she first began her college journey, she wasn’t quite clear on what she wanted. But now, she is looking to the future with clarity, vision and purpose. 

“My huge dream is to have a startup company in the medical device field,” she shares. 

She is confident that the leadership experience she has gained from her time with Associated Students will be transferable to her professional career. 

“I’ve flourished as a person in Associated Students,” says Lacson. “I’ve gained skills like teamwork, time management and organization. I’ve been able to expand and maximize my potential. Having those kinds of opportunities really can help so many different students grow and thrive.”  

Go here to learn more about Associated Students.