2024-25 USUSA Logan Campus Diversity & Organizations Executive Director
Ricardo Tienda-Pérez
What year are you in school? What are you studying? Where are you from?
Currently, I’m a sophomore here. I’m from Provo, Utah, so down in the valley, and I’m currently studying business management with an emphasis in healthcare management.
How do you plan to represent each organization on campus?
When it comes to representing every organization here on campus, one of the biggest things I want to push is fostering a sense of community at Utah State. A lot of that is through clubs and organizations, but my biggest push is especially now, as we all know, there has been an anti-DEI bill that was signed off. And the time is really important from now until July 1 in order to get our voices heard and get all that going. So, want to increased funding between all the clubs and organizations and just maintain that Aggie family that we have here at Utah State.
What are your thoughts on the Equal Opportunities Initiatives bill and its potential impacts on USU?
The bill recently nicknamed the anti-DEI bill, the HB261. That one is a little bit of an interesting bill. It’s been talked about a lot within our own legislature and recently, as we know, has been signed off. It is planned to take effect July 1. It’s meaning to not have that much of an impact within a university, but we know that it will have an impact. My thoughts on it is that I understand both sides of the bill. I am coming with this with an open mind and an open perspective to possible resolutions. The biggest thing that I just want to campaign for is just to get the word out that, you know, the bill has passed; it is going to be a law that will go into effect. What matters now is how we react to that bill. And more importantly, just making sure that what we have here at Utah State — the Aggie community, the Aggie family, that sense of belonging that we have cultivated for many year — that can’t go away, and it will not go away. My thoughts on it are just, it has passed. We can do things to mitigate it. But at one point, what matters now is making sure we don’t lose the community that we have here at Utah State.
How will you use your own experiences to help you promote diversity on campus and give a voice to those who aren’t typically heard?
There are many ways that I can use my own experiences to promote diversity on campus to make sure our student voices are heard. One of those is just given my own history. So I’m Latino, parents are from Guadalajara, from Mexico, and I am first generation as well, so I am part of that minority group. So even just coming here from Utah State, this being my second year, I’ve been involved with programs such as Aggie First Scholars. I’ve also been involved with Huntsman Scholars as a business student, the honors program, and a couple more as well. We’re actually working on starting a new club within the business school: Association of Latino Professionals for America. So within that, the biggest thing that I want to advocate for is just leading by example, in terms of my role. I want to be more of a key model to other students saying, ‘Even though you might be a part of our minority, anything is possible, and you can do many great things.’ Ensuring that student voices are heard is also more, it’s crucial in order for us to maintain the community that we have here. One of those ways is even just having town hall meetings, which is something that I’m really hoping to get going even within my position or within USUSA, just involving the community and helping the students here at Utah see and understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. What exactly is it that we’re doing? And how is it that we’re doing all of these changes?
If you are not elected, how will you continue to stay involved at Utah State?
One of those ways is possibly becoming a business ambassador within the business school. As I’ve mentioned already before, we’re starting a new club in it, ALPFA for short, Association of Latino Professionals for America. So even if I don’t have a role, such as D&O [diversity and organizations], I’m still going to work in the community and help build up that community that I’m striving to build, and even if it’s not this year, I will keep striving forward, title or not, to help continue strengthening our community.
If President Cantwell invited you to a potluck, what dish would you bring?
I’m actually a part of USU A-Team, and last year, after every orientation, Tuesdays and Thursdays, we’d always go to Los Primos for tacos. It’s just a tradition. So knowing myself, you know, I’d probably pull up with some Mexican dish. My favorite Mexican dish, quesabirria tacos, they are really good.
Jade Velasquez
What year are you in school? What are you studying and where are you from?
I am a sophomore, and I’m currently studying anthropology on the cultural track or, as I like to say cultural anthropology, and I’m from Logan itself.
How do you plan to represent each organization on campus?
I want to help improve organizations here at Utah State by letting the student body know that all clubs, organizations and programs are open to everyone, no matter what race, religion, beliefs or perspectives. I want everyone to know that every event is welcome and open to everyone.
What are your thoughts on the Equal Opportunity Initiatives Bill and its potential impacts on USU?
When I first heard about the anti-DEI bill, I was in high school, and back then the bill
was very against DEI, and throughout the years it has improved slightly but still, it’s been something that I have been very cautious in knowing over the past couple of years. It breaks my heart to see it happening and having it be placed in the coming years, but I know that there are students, groups and organizations that are here for students, and I am one of them, and we are going to continue to fight and advocate, raise our voices and show how these programs are important to us — important to not only those that it’s targeted towards but how it’s open to everyone. It’s a great opportunity for other people to know these organizations.
How will you use your own experiences to help promote diversity on campus and give a voice to those who aren’t typically heard?
As someone who has been living in Logan and has gone through a lot of experiences with discrimination and racism, microaggressions, I understand the feelings that multicultural people feel here. Not just in Logan, but as well as at Utah State. And when I mean multicultural people, I mean everyone, including gender, your race, ethnicity, religion, not just your skin color. I understand how it feels to be excluded, to feel like you don’t have a place to belong, a place to call home. Even those who were predominantly raised in the predominant religion. I understand how it feels as well, trying to go into those communities to understand, support and be aware of those communities. I hope through different initiatives, activities, programs, to bring both sides closer together and unite as one.
If you are not elected, how will you continue to stay involved at USU?
I know a lot of different organizations, programs and clubs that are associated with DEI. I am very involved with the Latinx Cultural Center. I am well acquainted with the Inclusion Center. So in the case that I am not elected, I will continue supporting those organizations as programs. Since my freshman year, I have been involved with USUSA. I have been pushing more DEI initiatives and opportunities for multicultural people. I will be a leader for those who don’t have their voices heard, and be a role model for students who look like me.
If President Cantwell invited you to a potluck, what dish would you bring?
I would bring out arroz con leche is what we say. So, in translation, it’s rice with milk, also known as rice pudding. Growing up, I ate it warm, and it gave me a sense of love, childhood and belonging at my home. So I’d bring arroz con leche with Cantwell so she can feel that belonging.