Junior Abdullah Memon is running for ASUC president to “reimagine how the ASUC serves the student body.” Memon’s campaign prioritizes basic needs, equitable professional development and student strikes and academic freedom. Memon has also been endorsed by the East Asian Caucus.
Though Memon grew up in an affluent South Bay area, his family — of which his parents are both immigrants from Pakistan — is low-income. For Memon, what brought him into the world of advocacy were his experiences growing up poor in a predominantly wealthy environment — in particular, his family’s struggles with affordable housing.
“No one was really going to come and help us, so I realized that I had to step into a role to advocate for my family,” he recalled.
In high school, Memon became involved in political organizing, knocking on doors, participating in various campaigns and lobbying state leaders were all a part of Memon’s life before college. At UC Berkeley, Memon has translated his experiences with advocacy to various roles in the ASUC.
Memon’s platforms seek to create tangible impacts that students can see.
“We’re all working for the benefit of students, and I think the most conducive, successful way to approach the position is having the utmost transparency and access to the role as possible,” he said.
Basic needs takes center stage in Memon’s campaign: he looks to focus on food vouchers, textbook grants, establishing a professional closet for low income students to access pre-professional clothing and introducing food pantries in dorms. Additionally, Memon proposes providing consistent training for students on how to access EBT, SHIP and overall, navigate their personal finances.
In order to fund these ideas, Memon plans to take advantage of existing sources through the Wellness Fund Committee, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, Campus Advisory Committee on Student Services and Fees, among others.
Memon originally joined the ASUC in his freshman year in the Middle Eastern, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian office, and later served as chief of staff for MEMSSA senator Medina Danish before becoming a senator himself.
Memon also sits on the Academic Freedom Committee, where he took part in conversations with faculty regarding the suspension of campus lecturer Peyrin Kao who for pro-Palestinian speech in the classroom. Memon worked with the committee to write a letter to the Academic Senate urging against Kao’s suspension. He looks to bring this attention to freedom of speech to the office of ASUC president.
“I (understand) the importance of using the ASUC as a resource for students like me who are navigating systems that were not built for us, who were navigating a university that, you know, wasn’t really built for faces like ours and for communities like ours,” Memon said.