At age 18, Cecilia Ruesta, knowing no English, immigrated from Peru to the United States as an undocumented student.

“It’s almost like you don’t have an identity, you don’t have something that can prove that you are you,” said Ruesta, a candidate for president of Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) “I left a lot of family back home and we were here and couldn’t leave anymore. If we went back, we weren’t able to come back here.”

Ruesta said the sacrifice of leaving is what let her move forward to get an education and learn English. She learned English from listening to music, writing down the lyrics and reading them to herself.

“If we’re going to be here at least we have to have a purpose,” Ruesta said.

Ruesta identifies as a queer, a female, a mother and much more. She believes that those elected to ASI need to reflect the entire Fresno State student body.

“There has to be people up there (ASI) that are truly representing us,” Ruesta said. “We need to make sure that we remind everyone that we are here, that we’re all accepted, that we’re all welcome, [and] this is not a judgmental community.”

As an undergraduate and a full-time mother to her daughter, Ruesta didn’t have the chance to be as involved on campus as she would have liked. As a graduate student, Ruesta hopes she can now advocate for people who are in similar situations.

“The very first two years of my undergrad it was very difficult,” Ruesta said. “I had to literally just get to class and run out the door and go get my baby. I couldn’t stay for [anything] that was related to getting involved.”

As her daughter grew older, Ruesta got the chance to become a woman in a leadership role. She was an intern for the California Faculty Association (CFA) and was president of “P.O.W.E.R”
People Organized for Women’s Empowerment and Representation.

“That’s pretty much when I was able to finally have the full experience of what being an undergrad at Fresno State was,” Ruesta said. “I was able to start connecting with people.
I was able to learn leadership and teamwork.”

After receiving her bachelor’s in women’s studies and criminology, Ruesta planned for her future. She plans on staying local after receiving her graduate degree. She wants to work for communities she identifies with in the Valley.

“I represent a lot of minorities — I know what the struggles are, I know what the struggles are to be part of this vulnerable population,” Ruesta said. “These are the people I want to work with.”

Having conversations with others is what Ruesta says can make students more aware of issues on campus. She said she hopes that asking questions can lead to connections that will stop stereotypes in society.

“I want unity between us and to learn from each other,” Ruesta said. “We need to celebrate diversity.”