A.S. board of directors announces its president’s resignation

Ailsa Ortiz, a political science major and vice president of the Indigenous Scholars Club, stands with a flyer to help boost awareness of her candidacy for Associated Students president on the Santa Monica College campus on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. Students will have from March 31, 2025, to April 3, 2025, to cast their votes online through Corsair Connect. (Nathan Hanson | The Corsair)

Associated Students Presidential candidate Ailsa Ortiz Political Science major, sits for a headshot, on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at the Cayton Center at Santa Monica College, in Santa Monica Calif.(Gregory Hawthorne/ The Corsair)

The Santa Monica College Associated Students Board of Directors announced the resignation of its president, Ailsa Ortiz, and filled four vacant board positions on March 23. During public comment, students and professors commended Ortiz for her work as president and mourned her resignation. 

“I am deeply saddened by her decision to resign, both as a director who’s worked with her and as an SMC student,” said board member Maliyah Ponce, during her director’s report. “Ailsa’s impact is undeniable.”

According to Ponce, Ortiz worked to have the Board of Trustees perform a land acknowledgement before each meeting. She also led events to increase voter engagement and publicly campaigned against budget cuts that targeted vulnerable students, Ponce said.

Ortiz resigned from the presidency three months early. The A.S. President is appointed on July 1 and holds the office for a year, until June 30, 2026, according to the A. S. Constitution.

The Corsair requested comment from Ortiz, but she declined. Ortiz said she was advised by her counsel to remain quiet and that she will release a statement next week on Instagram.

The president directs Board of Directors meetings and serves as the official Associated Students spokesperson. The constitution states the president’s responsibilities include serving as a voting member of four committees, including the Student Senate for California Community Colleges . The president also appoints students to District Planning &Advisory Committee and Academic Senate committees. 

Since there are seven weeks left in the current A.S. term, Thomas Bui, the associate dean for student life, proposed that board members be given priority for the presidency. “These students have already completed the necessary training and are familiar with the Associated Student processes,” Bui said. 

The board decided they will open applications for A.S. President on Wednesday, March 25. Applications will close on April 14, and the election will be held before the board on April 20, according to the A.S. director application form. 

During the meeting, the board also filled four vacant positions. Massimo Keyes was appointed A.S. Vice President, Carolyn Jia was appointed Director of Instructional Support, Gabriel Sanchez was appointed Director of Student Outreach and Samantha Jauregui was appointed Director of Publicity. 

According to Trisden Shaw, an ethnic studies and history professor at SMC, there has been a significant impact on marginalized and underrepresented students under Ortiz’s leadership. 

“It was amazing to see that the student government was responding to these populations, because these students are often forgotten and they fall through the cracks,” Shaw said. 

“With this change of leadership, I just hope that you all continue to support these students. When you have a strong leader, that is hard to replace.”