By Mike Harris Wednesday, July 31st, 2024

This story was updated on July 31 to include new details. The updated piece was written by Mike Harris.

CSU Channel Islands nursing student Jazmin Guajardo has become the university’s first student to be appointed to the CSU Board of Trustees.  

As the sole student trustee for 2024-26, Guajardo will represent all 450,000 students in the 23-campus California State University system statewide.

Each year, the California governor’s office interviews students who apply for the student trustee position.

Guajardo’s appointment by Gov. Gavin Newsom was made public by his office July 18.

CSU Channel Islands announced the appointment in a July 29 press release.

“I feel excited,” Guajardo, of Santa Paula, a first-generation college student, said in the release.

“It came as a surprise to be interviewed by the governor’s office,” she said. “The more I’ve learned about the board of trustees, the more I’ve come to understand the role students can play.”

As the 2024-25 student trustee, Guajardo will offer the student perspective as the CSU board adopts regulations and policies to govern the entire system.

Guajardo has held more than a dozen leadership positions at CSUCI.

They have included the vice president of Associated Students Inc. in 2023-2024, a senator of student engagement, president of the CSUCI Student Nurses’ Association, and founder and president of the Channel Islands League of United Latin American Citizens Collegiate Council.

CSUCI President Richard Yao praised Guajardo’s appointment, calling it a historic milestone.

“Jazmin’s appointment as the first student trustee from CSUCI underscores her exceptional leadership and dedication,” he said.

“Her role as vice president of Associated Students Inc. and involvement in various student organizations showcase her unwavering commitment to serving the university community,” he said. 

Yao said perspectives from student trustees like Guajardo are critical to the board’s decision-making process.

“We are proud to have Jazmin represent the CSU student body and bring her diverse experiences to the Board of Trustees,” he said.

The board meets six times a year to allow for communication among the trustees, the chancellor, campus presidents, the academic senate, the California State Student Association, and the alumni council.

Guajardo has met the other trustees and attended her first board meetings. 

She and her three sisters were raised in Santa Paula after spending her early years in Oxnard. 

Her older sister was the first to attend college, graduating with a degree in psychology from CSUCI in 2021. 

Guajardo’s requirements for a B.S. in nursing will be completed in 2025 but intends to continue her nursing education into 2026.

Guajardo said she didn’t consider applying to be a student trustee until she met a previous student trustee at an Educational Opportunity Program event.

CSU’s EOP program provides admission, academic and financial support services to historically underserved students throughout California.

“He was from Cal State Fullerton, and he was also an EOP student,” Guajardo said. “He and I had the same background, and that really helped me imagine myself as a student trustee.”

As a student trustee, Guajardo said she plans to emphasize the importance of students feeling that they belong at their universities and the need for new graduates to prepare for transitioning from classes to a career. 

“A sense of belonging contributes to student retention,” she said. “And I’d like to see more streamlined career pipelines – how we can better prepare students to go out into the workforce.”

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