College of Arts and Letters Council

Hi CAL students! My name is Zachary Labus and I am a third year french major and italian minor. As President, I’m thrilled to continue our council’s tradition of supporting student organizations’ tabeling and programming, as well as providing CAL students with academic and world cultivating experiences. However, it doesn’t escape me that SDSU’s transition to distance learning and the reality that pandemic post-secondary education looks vastly different and provides a unique set of challenges. The need for adaptive programming and the rejection of the antiquated view of the “traditional student” has never been more essential. For many incoming first-year students, their first experiences at SDSU and in the College of Arts & Letters is going to be virtual. Coupled with other factors that arise from distance learning and being at home, establishing a sense of community in CAL and connecting with students is going to be increasingly difficult. My hope is that by translating tabeling and other programming into virtual spaces, students regardless of location will have access to a myriad of resources and outlets for student engagement. Further, as a college composed of majors in the humanities and social sciences, and a council whose composition includes culture oriented organizations, our focus on education and cultural literacy sits at the forefront of our mission. It's imperative that we advocate for all students through academic programming, continued allyship, and activism.

Hello! My name is Amaya Childes. I am the Executive Vice President for the CAL Council this year, and am so excited to serve the student population! I am a second year sociology major, with a minor in interdisciplinary studies through the Weber Honors College. I am from Sacramento, California and am a member of the Henrietta Goodwin Scholars Program, in addition to being a Weber Honors College Student and a Presidential Scholar. In the SDSU Community, I participate in the BuildIT Makerspace, am a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, as well as several other student organizations such as AS’s First Year Leadership Initiative. These experiences have given me the opportunity to connect with a variety of CAL Students, as well as learn the processes of student government here on the SDSU campus, ultimately preparing me for this role. While there are many changing dynamics to the experience this year, the CAL Council is always a place for you! As we build the SDSU Community, the CAL family will continue to grow. In the CAL Council, I will advocate for a diverse, innovative, equal, and welcoming experience for all students. I will work in favor of student interests, communicating with my fellow CAL Council members to make this transition to online as smooth as possible for students and their respective organizations. In addition to these goals, I plan to make the CAL Council as efficient as possible for student organizations, as well as welcoming incoming students to connect them with the variety of resources and student orgs that come with the College of Arts and Letters. I am so excited to join the CAL Council team, and so joyful to work for the good of the College of Arts and Letters!

Hi CAL students! I’m Justyna Kolataj, your VP of Finance this year. I’m a senior with a double major in International Economics and Political Science. Politics, cinematography, and community service are just some things I’m passionate about, next to my involvement on our campus. I’m an SDSU Ambassador (yes, we walk backwards and have led your Orientation before you first got here), a member of Gamma Phi Beta, and President of International Student Association. Outside of campus, you’ll either find me volunteering or back with my family in Poland, where I come from, and skiing during the winter break! Having previous experience in Accounting, background in Economics, and the knowledge I had gained during years served as Treasurer of various student organizations have led me to CAL Council. The unprecedented circumstances of 2020/21 have definitely changed my perspective on my role at the Council; however, no matter what my senior year might bring to CAL, I am committed to help our organizations with budgeting and financial planning and to being a resource on creative ways to conduct club activity in the virtual, even without a budget. Most importantly, I am your go-to resource with first-hand knowledge of CAL and SDSU, as well as their current affairs, I am a friendly face to meet with every Friday while we all stay at home, and the person to help you continue doing the great work that our CAL students and organizations are known for!

My name is Adrianna and I am a senior majoring in Spanish & ISCOR. I am very passionate about music, sustainability, and food! As VP of publicity, I hope to promote transparency between the CAL Executive Council and students & staff and make events accessible to all students. I believe our college offers many amazing opportunities, from the myriad of clubs we have to the variety of guest lecturers we host. My biggest goal is to make sure these experiences do not pass students by and that they are able to fully take advantage of and enjoy them. I am so honored to be on the 2020-21 CAL Executive Board and I am so excited for what’s to come. I look forward to working with the rest of the board and serving CAL students this year.

Hello Everyone! I'm Chrystian Smith and my majors are Political Science and History. I am serving as your Vice President of Internal Affairs for the 2020-2021 academic year. I am elated to serve my fellow students and I'd like to share about myself with you all. My goal for this semester is to continue a tradition of connectedness and community care for the College of Arts and Letters. I want to make sure that all CAL students feel as if they have a community, even while not on campus. I have been in a number of CAL organizations and the executive board for much of that time. Organizations that I have been involved in include Phi Alpha Theta, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Model United Nations. I am excited to serve in this position because it opens many opportunities to meet fellow students, so, if you have questions about CAL Council, please contact me!

My name is Sophia Mathews, and I will be serving as one of the A.S. Representatives this year. I am truly ecstatic to work with such an amazing team on behalf of the BEST college at SDSU! I want to make the most of my position by promoting the community within CAL through events, resources, and workshops that benefit our students. Furthermore, as the most diverse group of people and studies on campus, I believe it is important that our voices are heard at the highest level of administration. I encourage anyone with suggestions, concerns, questions, or who seeks guidance to reach out to me by email.

I am an incoming sophomore majoring in Political Science, and I am pursuing a psychology minor and the Honors Minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. As a representative my focus is on understanding and making the budget transparent, continuing to develop and offer skill-building workshops on topics that would enhance the overall learning experience of our students, and prioritizing working with our Assistant Dean and CAL faculty to address the equity gaps within our college. I aim to do these things by: 1) implementing a listening campaign to ensure the diverse and unique perspectives of all of our students are taken into account and addressed accordingly, 2) working closely with the A.S. Vice President of Financial Affairs to help provide a third party oversight and advising to our CAL budget and allocations, and 3) building upon the framework that previous CAL college councils have set for us to provide our students with educational workshops. I will build on this by working to expand CAL’s resources through working with similar colleges like PSFA to create more opportunities for collaborations and awareness for shared concerns or interests. As one of your next CAL representatives, it is my top priority and honor to unapologetically advocate for the amazing students of the College of Arts and Letters here at San Diego State. Throughout my SDSU journey, I’ve come to realize how important it is to embrace and amplify the voices and ideas of every student. I am very excited about the chance to serve our students and to utilize my platform to empower others.

My name is Zihao Zhou, I am currently a freshman majoring in International Business with emphasis in Spanish and Latin America. I am honored and super excited to be one of the CAL Representatives next year and one of my main goals is to invite more students to get involved with A.S., especially those Who are commuting and are not aware of the many opportunities that are available to them, including the impact they can make. Furthermore, with the help of my team, I want to reach out to students who may be struggling to find academic resources that they need.