Sitting down with a well-known campus figure can be intimidating for some. But when I sat down with Associated Students President Amro Jayousi, I was soon set at ease by the welcoming nature of our president and his openness to answer questions.

 

Jayousi grew up in the West Bank region of Palestine where he attended private school. He came to the United States in his junior year of high school to visit Buffalo, New York, which is when the United States sparked his interest. Due to the educational opportunities he decided to apply to colleges in California.

 

Jayousi accepted his admission into California State University, Chico as a political science major and added a minor in international relations.

 

In regards to the United States Jayousi said, "I enjoy the working environment, the educational opportunities, and how much volunteers are able to speak about certain issues."

 

Jayousi's graduating high school class was only 15 students and had no structure like student government he could participate in. Jayousi became involved with the AS Student Government as the director of legislative affairs. The position proved rewarding for him, so he decided to try his hand at running for AS president in 2009.

 

Once he was elected, one of Jayousi's main goals as AS president was to improve the students' overall input on matters that affect them. He also wanted to give more incentive to students who showed interest in joining student organizations on campus.

 

"The most rewarding thing is being able to sit down and answer questions about issues with fellow students," Jayousi said.

 

Some things that Jayousi has observed about our campus since he has been here is the students' increased involvement. Not only are students getting involved, but the campus community has become a more accepting environment for participation and activism.

 

An event that Jayousi showed a lot of enthusiasm for was Rock the Vote, which took place in the Trinity Commons area on campus. Rock the Vote was an effort made by Chico State and it's AS government to encourage students to vote, and vote locally.

 

In May Jayousi will be leaving Chico State and has hopes of attending law school, where he plans on studying either international law or immigration law.

 

Although Jayousi will be graduating next semester, his influence will remain at Chico State for years to come. His effectiveness as a leader has served as an example to future elected officials of the AS government. It is clear Chico State will continue to move in a positive direction, and a lot of the credit is due to Amro Jayousi.