David Zaragoza joins the Arizona Board of Regents as its new student regent to represent ASU for the next two years in June 2023.
Zaragoza is a junior studying electrical engineering at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and is a member of Barrett, the Honors College. According to ABOR, he is currently is an active member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at ASU and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus.
Born in Chandler and raised in Yuma, Zaragoza plans to bring a rural Arizona perspective to his tenure as student regent. Zaragoza said his experience as a student from a geographically underrepresented area will factor into his thoughts on tuition, new scholarships and new academic programs while serving on the Board.
Only one previous student regent representing ASU in the last few years came from a rural town in Arizona.
"I really got to see in my own life and in the lives of my friends and my family what it's like to be a rural high school student in Arizona," Zaragoza said.
Every year, the governor selects a student regent from one of Arizona's three public universities. Zaragoza is the first student regent Gov. Katie Hobbs has selected in her term.
But before ASU candidates are considered for the role, they have to score a nomination through a process overseen by Undergraduate Student Government (USG). Student regents are able to vote in their second term on the board.
He also said that being an engineering major provides him "a more technological and logical perspective of how a university is run."
For two years, Zaragoza will get the opportunity to amplify ASU student interests to the state.
"Having a student regent gives a student perspective on the whole thing, such as tuition goals and hiring and firing the presidents at the universities," said John Arnold, ABOR's executive director. "The student perspective is very valuable.”
READ MORE: ASU will have an ABOR representative in 2023
Zaragoza's perspective not only benefits ASU's student body, but also ABOR as a whole. Larry Penley, current regent and former ABOR chairman, said he was impressed with the perspective Zaragoza brings to the board.
Zaragoza hopes his unique perspective will help him serve and represent his community well.
"College isn't as far away as many students in rural communities may think. There are higher education opportunities across Arizona and scholarships available to help with costs," Zaragoza said in a prepared statement. "I'm honored to represent rural communities and all university students, and I look forward to working with the Board of Regents to elevate those voices."
Edited by Mia Osmonbekov, Alexis Waiss and Shane Brennan
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the Arizona Board of Regents selected Zaragoza. The sentence has been changed to reflect the error on Sept. 13, 2023 at 2:05 p.m.
Reach the reporter at agoodm15@asu.edu and @alannagoodmann on X.
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