I know that this is probably one of the most difficult moments in your life - a time when both your physical and mental capabilities are tested. As someone who ran for the same position last year, I understand what you may be going through right now. This is why I writing this letter to let you know that I am here for you. I know at times you may feel alone or overwhelmed with the work it takes to become EAVP, but trust me Dionne, there is no one better than you to carry out this role. I gave you my endorsement for your candidacy to become the next External Affairs Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of California not simply because we both ran with CalSERVE or because you happened to work this year in the External Affairs Vice President's Office. I gave you my endorsement because I strongly believe that you are ready to take on the role of External Affairs Vice President. You have the experience and strong ability to make effective change for the Berkeley campus. You have helped inform the ASUC and the Berkeley community about what happens at city council and city commission meetings. You advocate on behalf of the student voice at UC Regents meetings. You give unwavering presence in Sacramento and Washington D.C. and you are the representative in local, state, and national media. There is no one better fit for this position.
As I reflect back at your involvement, I still remember your first voter that you registered during the 2006 elections, the first time you were a whiteliner at a regents meeting at UCLA, your first lobby visit to Sacramento and Washington D.C., and your first student recruitment meeting for city commissions. You have attended and facilitated workshops in multiple state and national conferences. You have really amazed me. One special moment that I remember was in Pittsburgh during USSA's annual congress. You went into that conference knowing very little about national organizing, and came out of that conference being a voting board member as a caucus facilitator. After you were elected to be the next National Asian Pacific American Student Caucus Chair for the United States Students Association, you came back to the Berkeley campus and brought the knowledge of nationwide organizing to your community. During your term as a board member for a national student run organization, you have impressed and motivated not only myself, but your community and peers as well. I can see parallels of your advocacy work from this year and the potential role as EAVP for next year.
You have come a long way to get to this point. The qualifications that you bring to the EAVP far outweigh not only any of the current EAVP candidates, but any candidate that has ever ran for EAVP. From a voice of experience, I want to wish you luck. These next couple of days are going to be rough, but I cannot see anyone else better fit for the challenge. When you joined the EAVP team as the Chief of Staff, I knew that you had the capacity to help the people in the EAVP office feel invested and motivated to continue the work that they do for the Berkeley community. What I did not know was how your presence in the office would illuminate your characteristics and abilities as not only a leader, but a wonderful friend to everyone on our staff. You embody someone who organizes for students as opposed to a personal agenda. You know that this process is not only about getting elected, but about making sure that you can carry out all your campaign promises and making your term as effective as possible.
I was truly blessed to have you as my Chief of Staff and now I am truly blessed to have you carry on next year as EAVP. As I end this letter I want to tell you that I have so much love for you and that I am here for you throughout this process and in future plans that you do. Good luck my friend.
-Danny Montes
- Mood:
high
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