Five years ago, a senior at Bullard High School, was receiving their rejection letter from Fresno State’s 2019 fall admissions. Five years later, she became Fresno State’s 2023-24 Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) student body president.

That person is me. My name is Karen Carrillo, and I’ve had one of the truest honors to have served in numerous capacities to over 24,000 students at Fresno State for the last five years. As committee member to the ASI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee back in 2019, to adjusting a new reality during the pandemic as ASI Senator for Resident Affairs, to post-pandemic as ASI Senator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to Executive Vice President, and for my last year in undergrad, President, to such an amazing corporation. However, my time in ASI has not gone without sacrifice, and I’d like to now share my story.

At the age of 16, I was placed in a difficult predicament that involved making a choice that would alter my future. Due to my mother’s lack of opportunities because of her undocumented status, she was compelled to move back to Mexico. I was a junior in high school, with my mindset of pursuing higher education. It was in no one’s cards that I would be separated from my mom, but I fought to convince my mom to let me stay. With none of my immediate family members willing to take me in, and with the little financial support my dad was able to provide, I couch surfed through three different homes before coming to Fresno State where I resided for the first two years of my undergraduate career.

I didn’t do it alone though.

If it weren’t for the amazing mentors I had during my junior and senior year of high school, and for the Fresno State ambassador, Drina Tobin, who saw something in me, and helped me every step of the way to appeal my Fresno State admissions decision – I truthfully do not know what where I’d be.

My journey through my early years at Fresno State was still a struggle. As I became my sole provider, I faced food insecurity, continued to not have a permanent and stable living situation, and struggled with my mental health. However, life has continuously provided me with amazing people who have supported and uplifted me to get where I am today.

Thank you Aylin Guerrero, Tyler Yang, Hisham Qutob, Luis Sepulveda, James Martinez, Manny Ovando, President Jiménez-Sandoval, my sorority sisters of Lambda Sigma Gamma, and countless others, who I’ve truly count myself so blessed to have encountered during my undergraduate career.

And thank you Fresno State, for giving me a chance.

It is through the challenges I faced, which are why I have devoted so many years to public service through ASI. No student should have to worry about where their next meal will come from or if they’ll be able to afford rent next month while also trying to balance their academics. During my tenure as an ASI representative, I have worked tirelessly to provide resources to our students to help enhance the support they need in order to thrive. From providing self-care packages during the pandemic to our dorm students, to distributing food vouchers, to creating a program where students are able to reduce their parking ticket citation in exchange for completing two hours of community service and more.

A year from now, students won’t remember who I am, and that’s OK, but they’ll always remember how that one food voucher helped them out, how that scantron or blue book came in handy, or how that menstrual product saved their life. In some way, shape or form, I am confident that ASI has touched students’ lives, whether they know it or not. As long as it helps students, it is all I can ask for.

I joined ASI not to change the world, but to change one student’s world. As I get ready to end my term on May 31, 2024, I leave this organization with the assurance I was able to accomplish all of my campaign promises, and to know we have a new cohort coming in who will continue the efforts of providing for our students. I’m excited to see all the amazing things this organization will continue to do.

Associated Students, Incorporated … it’s truly been a pleasure. Thank you.

With Bulldog Pride, 2023-24 ASI President Karen M Carrillo