Passionate politician and Leader

PROFILE: New ASG President Edna Tobias focuses on staying balanced.

Outspoken and committed, Associate Student Government President Edna Tobias is preparing for a demanding year in her role as an advocate for students.

“This is a responsibility that I chose to do and one that I am keeping, because as president I know that’s the least I can do,” Edna said.

The Segerstrom High School graduate studied dance for four years, a passion she brought with her to Santa Ana College.

In 2009, she danced in the spring and fall concerts and recalls the theme having to do with “dreams.”

Today, she dreams of one day creating her own company like Oprah Winfrey, a woman she idolizes.

Describing Winfrey as being motivational, inspiring, generous and with a talent for building strong relationships, Edna hopes to build on those same skills.

“The best experience I could get is by doing my job,” she said.

The 21-year-old psychology major also loves to paint and expresses that appreciation for the arts by attending the monthly art walks in downtown Santa Ana.

“Art, music and dance are important for development and expressing one’s self,” Edna said.

She admits that she is a shy person and at the beginning of her college education she kept to herself.

That didn’t hold her back from running for office. She considers her lack of prior experience with ASG an advantage.

“I feel I come with a new mentality, and a fresher way of doing things than anyone else had done in the past,” Edna said.

During her first year at SAC, she had questions about classes, and found speaking with a counselor wasn’t as encouraging and inspiring as she felt it should have been.

She thinks if a student is confused about the classes they should be taking, then being able to see a counselor or getting the right information should not be an issue.

By talking and networking with students on campus, she realized she was one of the many who were both unsure of what classes to take and also experienced a lack of enthusiasm
projected from counselors.

She has decided to take this matter seriously and is ready to take action.

“I’m a student acting as natural as I can while trying to help out students from going through what I had to go through,” Edna said.

That and other issues may be presented at the first and second cabinet meetings, which she encourages students to attend.

“When we are all united, something can actually be done because we would all be on the same page,” Edna said.