BOARD OF TRUSTEES OVERSEES 23
CAMPUSES INCLUDING CSU
BAKERSFIELD.
BUT IN THE BOARD'S 60
YEARS OF GOVERNANCE IT HAS NEVER
HAD A STUDENT
TRUSTEE FROM KERN COUNTY - UNTIL
NOW.
17'S ROBERT PRICE HAS MORE.
MEET KRYSTAL RAYNES, A 21- YEAR
OLD C-S- U-B SENIOR AND
INDEPENDENCE HIGH GRAD WHOSE
PARENTS
IMMIGRATED FROM THE PHILIPPINES.
RAYNES NAILED HER
APPLICATION TO JOIN THE
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY'S
BOARD OF TRUSTEES WITH THIS
MESSAGE --
KRYSTAL RAYNES: We're shaped by
our resilience. There's so many
immigrant people that live
here, my family being one of the
stories, being one of the many
stories, that have come here to
Bakersfield. Having that
strength of community, to say
that we matter,
when pesticides are literally
killing
those people, takes a lot of
strength. And it has been
perpetuated to this very day in
the students and
the youth. A lot of us want to
have a
better life.
NOW SHE WILL BE AN ADVOCATE FOR
STUDENTS IN KERN COUNTY
AND EVERYWHERE, SHE SAYS, WHO
MAY HAVE DEALT WITH FINANCIAL
HARDSHIP, FOOD INSECURITY,
HOUSING
CONCERNS AND A HOST OF OTHER
ISSUES THAT CAN GET IN
THE WAY OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS.
THANKS TO HER LASTING
CONNECTION TO HER PARENTS'
NATIVE PHILIPPINES,
KRYSTAL HAS KNOWN FIRST- WORLD
POVERTY AND
THIRD WORLD POVERTY. KRYSTAL
RAYNES:
Comparing my experiences as a
kid going to the Philippines --
I remember that we didn't even
have a
front door! We didn't have a
front
door and cats would come in and
out.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM ANNOUNCED HER
APPOINTMENT AS ONE OF TWO
STUDENT TRUSTEES ON THURSDAY.
NOW SHE WILL HAVE A VOTE ON
MATTERS RESHAPING THE
FACE OF HIGHER EDUCATION,
INCLUDING DISTANCE LEARNING, A
SERIOUS
BUDGET SHORTFALL AND NEW
REQUIREMENTS THAT THE C-S-U
EXPAND THE
BREADTH OF ITS CURRICULUM TO
INCLUDE SCHOLARSHIP ON ETHNIC
STUDIES.
RAYNES, A COMPUTER SCIENCE AND
BUSINESS MAJOR, HAS HELD SEVERAL
STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
FROM 2018 TO 2020, INCLUDING
INTERIM VICE
PRESIDENT OF LEGISLATIVE
AFFAIRS.
C-S-U-B PRESIDENT LYNNETTE
ZELEZNY SAID
RAYNES DESERVES THIS
UNPRECEDENTE D OPPORTUNITY.
LYNNETTE ZELEZNY: I've watched
her in her leadership roles in
the Associated Student Body. She
has held very prominent roles.
She has also had prominent
student
leadership roles at the state
level --
and she was the only student
trustee candidate that had that
full
range of experience. So I think
it's really appealed to the
governor's choice that she has
really
earned not only being nominated
but being selected to the
position.
IN THE 50-YEAR HISTORY OF THE
UNIVERSITY, RAYNES IS ONLY
THE SECOND TRUSTEE FROM CSU
BAKERSFIELD TO
SERVE ON THE BOARD, FOLLOWING
JOHN NILON
WHO SERVED AS AN ALUMNI
REPRESENTATIV E A FEW YEARS
AGO.
RAYNES HAS AN IMPRESSIVE
RESUME FOR ONE SO YOUNG, BUT HER
GREATEST ASSET MAY BE OPTIMSM
AND AN
INFECTIOUS ATTITUDE. KRYSTAL
RAYNES: I laugh
a lot. I love people. I love
being around
people. You never know when it's
going to be your last day. So I
live
with that philosophy and I try
to spread joy, try to tell
people I
love them.
IN BAKERSFIELD, ROBERT PRICE,
17 NEWS.
TAMI:
WHEN WE COME BACK... DO YOU HAVE
A TASTE FOR FAIR FOOD?
