Richard Vasquez and Catherine Mathis are two new members of the Delta College Board of Trustees. Both were elected to the board in the Nov. 2014 election.
Vasquez is a Delta College student in addition to board member.
Who are you?
Vasquez: “Well I’m acting students as for Delta, I’m an on going student seeking my bachelors. But when they ask who I am I basically said my official role is a trustee representing District 4 for the county of San Joaquin.”
What are your achievements?
Vasquez: “My achievements is to make sure the safety of this campus comes first, the students are aware of the program’s and the training that the college has to offer, making sure the transfer students get the accommodation And support they need as well.”
Where are you from?
Vasquez: “I’m from San Joaquin County born and raised here in Stockton, and I completed all of my grammar school here in Stockton, I’ve achieved my high school diploma in Humboldt county, and I recently moved back to San Joaquin County in 2012 to be closer to my family members, and basically re-root back to the community where I grew up in.”
What are the procedures of becoming a trustee?
Vasquez: “Well the procedures of becoming a trustee I had to be a qualified candidate of the district I was running from, and I filed the necessary paperwork for the county voters and electors office I was considered eligible work, I pursue, seeking endorsements. And I seek for outside sources for support of my campaign, and I went out and pursue that election with a positive attitude and I went ahead and I fulfilled the obligations and I won.”
How are you selected to be a trustee, do you need a certain GPA?
Vasquez: “No there isn’t no academic requirements, I think anybody could of ran for any position, and I know there’s the upcoming positions that will be open for different districts. However I don’t believe there no additional requirements have to pertain to hold a position as a trustee for the board or the county, my GPA is not bad, I hold a 3.0. Other than that I don’t think there’s any additional requirements.”
Catherine Mathis is from the Los Angeles area and a former junior high school social study teacher. She attended Creighton University for medical school, Marshall University and then Huntington West Virginia for residency in O.B.T.Y.N. She is a practicing physician in Stockton and Lodi.
How was that process to become a trustee did it take along period of time or it came by fast?
Mathis: “Well my friend was involved in democratic party politics, he ask me If I was interested of running because I’ve lived in the area that had a vacancy and I said yes.”
Any Goals you want to achieve sitting on the board?
Mathis: “Well I’m a graduate of the college system and I’ve have fours siblings who also went to the community college before transferring to the university. In so I have a tremendous affection about the community college system, and a lot of sympathy for a lot of students that go there, it’s the one place where everybody has a equal opportunity to make there life’s better. You can really dream almost anything you want to become and go there and further and possible to making that dream come true, so I just I want to do the best I can do in the capacity to help make delta college the place, and make young people from this area to go too make there dream come true.”
So you advanced, adapted and figured everything out?
Mathis: “I’m still learning, but I’ll say my colleagues on the board was very helpful and the training I’ve received at the conference in past December it was very helpful were having another one in May and I really appreciate all the help and guidance, the atmosphere in collegiality and the other board members made a big effort to create.”
What advice would you give to somebody who wants to be a trustee?
Mathis: “Well I suppose getting involved in politics would be a good idea you know that is not always evident How to do that, the two major party that have meeting on a monthly bases and going to those meetings are a good idea, and they don’t seem to have invisible club houses their seen on street corner I think they once were but getting involved in party politics or knowing someone who is and letting it be known that your interested running it’s probably the best way of doing it, but what I’ve did learn in this process is anyone can go Down to the county registration voters office’s, filled out a form and become candidate. I think to run for trustee there wasn’t even a filming fee. Becoming a trustee isn’t terribly difficult but if you do have to run.
“I run, I was ask to run, so I had some help from people that can help guild me threw the process, the folks at the registered office pretty helpful but it’s not a bad way to get in politics I think a lot of people do go that route But what I can tell the conference I went to in past December and talking to a lot of board members a lot of people just want to be trustee for there local colleges and have no other serious political ambitions beyond that it’s community service were trying to perform, the political party is a good the way to do this, this actually is a a non partisan position and we’re not supposed to represent the point of view of Democrats or Republicans or independence or Green Party People , where suppose to act in the best interest in the community as a whole and speak with one voice.”