Of the nine members of the STRIVE team, eight were elected to serve as ASUNM senators after 682 Lobos voted Wednesday. One STRIVE member who made the cut was Bryce Matanis, a sophomore political science major.
“It shows that the team as a whole actually put forth the effort to get elected,” Matanis said. “The fact that we got eight out of nine is incredibly, incredibly awesome.”
Matanis is among the eight who will serve as senators for the first time, joining Jorge Guerrero, Bisaan Hanouneh, Brianna Mulligan, Caleb Heinz, Ashley Hawney, Bianca Cowboy and Udell Chavez, according to the ASUNM Elections Commission.
Three current senators were up for reelection. Two of them, Mack Follingstad and Frances Attiogbe, will remain senators.
The candidates elected into ASUNM on Wednesday will serve one full year, beginning in the spring. They will be introduced at ASUNM’s final meeting of the fall semester on Nov. 19.
STRIVE team member Guerrero, a sophomore mechanical engineering and Spanish major, received 389 — almost 60 percent — of student votes, according to the Elections Commission.
Guerrero said he was happy that the preparation was worth it.
“It was a long, long process, and very stressful, but it’s good to know all the work paid off,” Guerrero said. “I’m excited to get started. I’ve worked on the organization side, so I know how hard it is for them to get money sometimes. I’m pretty well-rounded on the whole communication process.”
Udell Chavez, a senior political science and Spanish major, barely made the cut, winning the tenth spot by only four votes. He said he ran for the first time in the spring and wasn’t elected, but that he is ready to make the most of his chance now that he has it.
“This whole thing has been nerve-racking,” Chavez said. “My goal will be to build a bridge between ASUNM and the students, especially the underrepresented.”
Frances Attiogbe, a sophomore biology major and also a member of STRIVE, said experience from her previous election kept her relaxed. It worked, to the tune of 333 votes, the third-highest number.
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“There’s always that feeling of ‘what if,’ so I was a little nervous, but I’m doing alright now,” Attiogbe said. “The experience helped me better my campaign this year.”
Attiogbe said she is excited and ready to continue serving UNM as a senator.
“I’ve really enjoyed the one-on-one interaction that happens as a senator, letting people know that this is what we do, this is what we stand for, and we are here for you guys,” Attiogbe said.
David Lynch is a news reporter for The Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @RealDavidLynch.
