USAC Officer Evaluation: Isabel Oraha, Transfer Student Representative

Isabel Oraha entered USAC with fairly basic ideas and not much in the way of innovation.

She didn’t complete them all, but at the very least she was honest about her areas for improvement. 

Oraha ran on the platforms of improving resources for students with dependents, improving transportation and releasing a quarterly pamphlet of opportunities for transfer students. The first two goals were vague enough that she didn’t have to complete much of anything to check them off the to-do list. The last goal didn’t happen at all. 

To be clear, she did institute some changes. Her office advocated for students with dependents and had a vote planned for spring to provide priority enrollment for these students. She created and distributed a survey to transfer students to improve student orientation, though it continues to be unclear as to what it would have accomplished.  

The quarterly pamphlet, by her own admission, did not go as well. The office only received 11 responses from clubs and Oraha claimed the pamphlet became very difficult to complete. 

Ultimately, the board saw very little in the way of initiative or dedication when it came to making a difference for transfer students at UCLA, and unfortunately, Oraha’s vague platforms allowed her to slip through the cracks on the claim of completing platforms that never asked much of her office in the first place. 

There were upsides, though. Oraha’s office took to social media in an unprecedented way compared to previous years. She also made a point to be available and present for the campus community – hosting weekly office hours, flyering on Bruin Walk and hosting Bruin Transfer Pride Week. 

The office’s biggest event this year, a transfer gala, was canceled because of COVID-19, but Oraha ensured that her office’s surplus funds were donated to the Transfer Student Center.

At the end of the day, the transfer student representative is a relatively new position. As an office run primarily by students with two years on campus, Oraha acknowledged the shortcomings that come with high turnover and lackluster knowledge transfer. 

The office’s shortcomings are understandable – and so are Oraha’s. As such, the board genuinely hopes that the transfer student representative can serve its community a little better next time around.