Ricardo Tejeda, 07/09/07
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The Student's Voice
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Sophomore Ricardo Tejeda was elected student representative on the California Student Aid Commission’s Grant Advisory Committee.
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For the second time in a row, an LMU undergraduate has been selected to represent independent colleges and universities on one of the most important committees that deal with state financial aid for higher education.
Ricardo Tejeda, sophomore urban studies major with a minor in history, was recently elected to the California Student Aid Commission’s Grant Advisory Committee. The committee’s main responsibility is to provide guidance on program funding and policy issues related to the Cal Grant Program. Only one student is chosen from the state to represent all California independent colleges and universities. Tejeda replaced former student representative Aram Nadjarian ’06.
“Tejeda was a natural candidate,” says Catherine Graham, director of financial aid and the person who nominated Tejeda. “He is extremely active on campus, and has the ability to speak and present well on behalf of LMU and Cal Grant recipients across the state.”
As part of his duties, Tejeda traveled to Sacramento to lobby with state legislators at the 5th Annual Cal Grant Student Day at the State Capital this past spring. The purpose of the trip was for students to thank legislators for their continued support of funding higher education and restoring the Cal Grant Program to its original amount. The program’s funding dipped during the previous three years.
“I was honored to have been selected as a representative of all Californian students who need financial aid,” Tejeda says. “It was amazing to lobby elected officials and to have our voices heard.”
Raised in Compton, Calif., Tejeda is a first-generation college student and the second in his family to receive a Cal Grant. He said he was initially attracted to LMU because it was a small school where he could receive more attention from professors than he would at a larger institution.
“LMU stood out from the rest,” Tejeda says. “It offers the benefits of a small school while being big enough for a student to receive the whole college experience.”
Tejeda is active in campus organizations. He serves as the co-chair of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), the special projects coordinator for Chicano Latino Student Services and is a member of MAGIS, an LMU service organization. In addition, he works as a work-study student in the Student Affairs office.
“Being active on campus lets me live out LMU’s mission of the education of the whole person,” Tejeda said. “I get to utilize what I learn from my professors inside and outside of the classroom.”
After graduation, Tejeda plans to attend graduate school and eventually pursue a career as an urban or transportation planner.