Kelseyville resident named to California Student Aid Commission
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Kelseyville college student has been named to the California Student Aid Commission.
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said he appointed Leonardo Rodriguez, 20, to the commission.
“I am honored to be appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the California Student Aid Commission, the largest state-run financial aid agency in the country,” Rodriguez told Lake County News.
“As a Dreamer and Undocumented Student, my community is often barred from opportunities like these due to legal and economic issues, but California continues to show us that we are the state of progress,” Rodriguez said. “Within higher education students like myself are able to find our true potential and are able to work towards our dreams, regardless of our backgrounds. This is why we must work hard to expand access to higher education while relentlessly working to break down barriers that stand between students and their goals.”
Rodriguez grew up in Lake County and graduated from Kelseyville High School in 2019, going on the same year to begin his studies at Mendocino College. He’s a first-generation college student.
Earlier this year, he was elected by the student body to serve as student trustee on the Mendocino-Lake College District Board of Trustees.
Then, in August, he was elected to the 21-member California Community College Trustees Board as its student member for the 2021-22 academic year.
The California Student Aid Commission administers financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges and vocational schools in the state.
Its website states that it “serves as a resource for policymakers and the public on college affordability and financing issues, and advocates for policy changes to eliminate cost as a barrier to any qualified California student pursuing a higher education.”
Rodriguez received letters of support for his appointment from Second District Assemblymember Jim Wood; Ukiah City Mayor Juan Orozco; Mendocino County Superintendent of Schools Michele Hutchins; Minerva Flores, Mendocino College director of institutional effectiveness, research, grants and equity; Lake County District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska; and the California Community Colleges Trustee Board.
He has been a registered behavioral technician at Autism Intervention Professionals since 2019, and previously worked in retail and construction.
This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodriguez is a Democrat.
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