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Cal Poly students have chosen the 24 members who will sit on the ASI Board of Directors next year — a group that will steer student funding, campus policy and day-to-day responses to issues like semester conversion and student services. Nimisha Thakur, a sophomore in software engineering, led the field with 328 votes, but turnout and college size mean the raw totals tell only part of the story.
Why this matters now
The ASI Board meets every two weeks and votes on budgets, program priorities and resolutions that affect campus life. With major changes underway at Cal Poly — including semester conversion and integration of Cal Poly Maritime — who represents each college will shape how student concerns are raised and handled over the next year.
The board is separate from the ASI executive team and is composed of elected students from each academic college. Members will use those positions to press for issues ranging from mental health resources and class registration to DEI programming and facilities improvements.
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Top vote-getters
- Nimisha Thakur (Engineering) — 328 votes
- Hudson Kammerer (Liberal Arts) — 325 votes
- Jack Flath (Engineering) — 269 votes
- Olivia Short (Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences) — 275 votes
- Naomi Jung (Engineering) — 251 votes
Winners by college
| College | Representative(s) | Leading vote total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey College of Science & Mathematics | Ginger O’Grady; Sophia Gonzalez; Valentina Campos; Karissa Yeung | 239 | Yeung is a write-in candidate; her seat is pending filing |
| College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences | Olivia Short; Hanna Birdsong; Liz Quintero; Alli Aguiar | 275 | Campaign focused on CAFES priorities, land use and campus food initiatives |
| College of Architecture & Environmental Design | Samantha Katz; Stone Ramage; Benjamin Muro | 151 | Muro led CAED by vote share despite lower raw total |
| College of Engineering | Nimisha Thakur; Jack Flath; Naomi Jung; Anahi Ramos; Diego Pardo | 328 | Engineering is the largest college on campus; registration and hands-on learning were recurring themes |
| College of Liberal Arts | Hudson Kammerer; Addison Godfrey; Donya Ahmady; Diego Castillo | 325 | Kammerer is drafting a transparency resolution tied to campus decisions |
| Orfalea College of Business | Sophie Gunter; Alan Ko; Tommy Fewel; Tiffany Chau | 208 | Business reps emphasized club funding, career prep and clearer communication |
Data points and what they show
Although Thakur won the most votes, college size affects how those totals translate into support. The College of Engineering enrolls about 6,580 students (2025 figures), so Thakur’s 328 votes amount to roughly 4.98% of that college’s enrollment. By contrast, Benjamin Muro led CAED with 113 votes, which represented about 5.40% of his college — a higher share despite a smaller raw number.
Across the 24 successful candidates, the average vote total was 197 and the average share of a candidate’s college was about 5.10%. Medians were slightly higher: a median of 205 votes and 5.28% support. Overall participation in this year’s election was 4,394 students, roughly 18.7% of the student body based on 2025 enrollment data.
Issues the board will confront
New board members highlighted several recurring priorities in interviews conducted at ASI media day on April 9. Several said they will press for improved communication between administrators and students, particularly around projects that affect daily life — construction, campus safety tools and schedule changes.
Other common themes included:
- Mental health: candidates want better counseling access and more targeted services for high-stress programs.
- Course access and registration: engineering students in particular cited limited seat availability and complex prerequisite chains.
- Hands-on learning: underclassmen in technical majors called for more lab and practicum opportunities.
- Transparency and student input: proposed rules would require earlier notification and clearer channels for feedback on campus changes.
Turnout and the distribution of votes across colleges mean the board will need to balance broad campus priorities with concentrated pockets of support for certain initiatives. Because many winners campaigned on similar themes — mental health, communication and experiential learning — consensus on next steps is possible, but implementation will hinge on budget choices and the ASI executive team.
Profiles of candidates and their stated priorities were drawn from ASI’s media day interviews. The write-in victory for Karissa Yeung remains provisional until required paperwork is filed and certified by Elections Chair Scott Drouin.
