Building student power means creating more opportunities for UC students to have their voices heard on campus, and at the systemwide level.
Apply to be a student representative through UCSA’s many advocacy channels at the University of California:
The University of California Student Association (UCSA) is the official voice of over 230,000 undergraduate students across the UC system. It is our mission to empower and develop students to champion accessibility, affordability, and quality within the University of California system for current and future students in a way that centers equity for all and prepares them to impact the world. We fulfill our mission through the following activities:
UCSA offers a wide range of free trainings developed by our professional staff and open to all UC students, student organizations, clubs, and groups.
UCSA runs five permanent campaigns to address ongoing issues for students: ACQUIRE (A Campaign for Quality in Resources and Education), Racial Justice Now, Fund The UC, UCweVOTE, and SEED (Students Enacting Environmental Defense)
The UCSA Government Relations Office connects uc students directly with elected officials and administrators in Sacramento And Washington, D.C. guided by the Government Relations Committee and the UCSA Board Of Directors, UCSA advances official legislative positions on behalf of UC students.
Through direct engagement with lawmakers, staff, and decision-makers, the office ensures that student voices are heard and represented in critical public policy conversations that impact the UC system.
Focused on the intersection of activism and student issues, SOS creates conversation and teaches skills for student organizers. It is also where UC students vote on new issues for UCSA to organize around for the year.
UCSA’s oldest and largest conference fosters a safe space for students of color to strategize around statewide and campus-based actions. It is hosted every year (since 1988) in partnership with students on a UC campus.
SLC brings UC students to the State Capitol for the opportunity to develop lobbying skills, learn more about issues affecting students and California higher education, and directly engage elected officials on these issues.
As Executive Director, Salih leads our staff team and organizational strategy, keeps the UCSA office in operation, supports the Board and other student leaders, and fundraises to maximize the potential of our organization. Salih also oversees planning for UCSA’s annual statewide conferences.
Raised in Oakland, California, Salih Muhammad strives to embody the principles of service, sacrifice, and selflessness. For much of his life, he has been committed to living toward the liberation of Black people, at home and abroad.
In 2009, he continued the pursuit of knowledge at the University of California, Berkeley, where he excelled as a Black student and organizer on campus. His favorite quote is from Franz Fanon, who stated, “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity.”
