Graduate Student Association

Nick Hodge

Pronouns: He/Him/His
President
Second year MS Student in Business Administration, Financial and Tax Planning

Nick Hodge is from San Diego, California. Nick served as a member of the Graduate Student Association last year, where he gained valuable experience and insight about the obstacles that graduate students are facing. He became involved in GSA to help make a better experiences for students on campus, create networking opportunities, and to step out of his comfort zone to learn new things. Nick seeks to be a catalyst to help address these areas, making the graduate student experience more cohesive with the student population. Nick is also proud alum of San Diego State University, having completed his BA in Economics here at SDSU, and in his free time likes to coach basketball, play basketball, and try his hand at gardening!

Nini Shatirishvili

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Vice President of University Affairs
Fourth year Ph.D. student in the UCSD/SDSU Doctoral degree program in Chemistry and Biochemistry

Nini is the Vice President of University Affairs for the GSA and a doctoral candidate in the chemistry and biochemistry program at SDSU-UCSD. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from SDSU, her research now delves into the ultrasensitive and noninvasive detection of neurological diseases, viral pathogens, and cancer biomarkers using a broad spectrum of analytical methodologies.

In her role as VP of University Affairs, she directs various GSA academic, social, on-campus, and off-campus initiatives. These include the Graduate Student Orientation, Annual Retreat, Conferences, Awards Gala, and Philanthropic Service. She is deeply committed to fostering equity, enhancing student life vibrancy, and providing meaningful graduate student services, all while elevating the graduate student experience at SDSU. Nini also works as a teaching associate for general chemistry courses at SDSU. Throughout her experience, she has trained hundreds of undergraduate students and provided mentorship to dozens in her research lab.

Judy Mahmalji

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Graduate Council Representative
Second year M.A. student in Psychology

Judy Mahmalji was born and raised in San Diego, CA and is in her second year of the Master of Arts in Psychology program at San Diego State University. During her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, she majored in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and minored in Human Developmental Studies. Judy has a strong background in advocating for adults and youth with disabilities and is passionate about expanding her advocacy work on campus through being part of GSA. In her spare time, Judy enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy books, exploring new places and spending quality time with family and friends!

Cassandra Garcia

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Vice President of Public Relations
Third year student in the Latin American Studies and Public Administration Programs

Cassandra Garcia is from El Centro, CA and earned a bachelor's degree in history from SDSU Imperial Valley. She was motivated to join GSA because she wanted to be an advocate for graduate students on campus. As Vice President of Public Relations, Cassandra’s main goal is to inform graduate students about the resources, opportunities and events on campus. In her spare time, she likes exploring, traveling, listening to albums and playing video games.