Talar Alexanian makes history after being inaugurated as an official member of the California State University Board of Trustees, a first for CSUN.

It took six months of multiple interviews before CSUN’s Associated Students vice president received the good news. Alexanian was interviewed by all 23 CSU Associated Student presidents, and by the governor’s office.

She was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown and will serve a two year term, her first year as a non-voting member.

As she steps into her new role as a board of trustee member,  Alexanian already has a to-do list for what she would like to accomplish before the end of her first term.

“I really want to get a feel of each [CSU] campuses culture, the buildings, the people that make it so diverse and so unique, because entering next year as a voting member will ensure that I’m making the right decisions on behalf of the students,” Alexanian said.

She also wants to increase undergraduate awareness.

“I want to make sure students know what’s going on at Board of Trustee meetings because often times students don’t really know what they are or why they exist,” Alexanian said.

She hopes students will be more informed on issues that may be directly affecting them on campus or even statewide.

“They’re concerned that their voices aren’t being heard and I want to bridge that gap and make sure that I’m empowering those students that think they’re not being heard,” Alexanian said. “I get to represent their point of view on the board.”

Though the new student BOT member is a journalism major with an emphasis in public relations, she isn’t sure how this journey will affect her professional career.

“I can’t tell you I’m a hundred percent sure of what I want to do but I know I definitely want to give back to my community and possibly see what a career in politics might be like,” Alexanian said.