Diana Garcia / Roundup
514 to 383. That’s the number of votes Nima Jahanforouz won over Asim Hamid last Friday in the Associated Students Organization conference room.
“I worked my butt the last couple of months,” said Jahanforouz. “I was excited to get in and now follow up on my promises.”
Halfway through the ballot count, Jahanforouz didn’t look as if he had the election won.
“It is nerve wrecking,” said Jahanforouz. “I’ve been waiting for this for a couple of days now.”
Growing up quiet as a child, Jahanforouz was challenged with the election process. Talking to total strangers was something Jahanforouz had to get used to.
Though quiet, his values and goals never wavered. Respectful and generous are the two adjectives that were enlisted in him as young boy by his mother.
“I don’t try to judge people or tell them what to do,” Jahanforouz. “I try to help them [people] resolve their problems and make better life choices.”
The new treasurer-elect’s believes his open-minded views from everyday life will carry over into his political position.
Jahanforouz wants to sit down with all the chair members to make sure that there is no conflict between any of them. “I want [a] positive attitude towards things,” said Jahanforouz.
Jahanforouz opponent, Hamid, is still optimistic. He added that he would try to tell Jahanforouz about the plans he had in mind.
“I want to help out the students,” said Hamid, a 19-year-old business major. “I will stay in ASO and stay in the senate for another year. I want to see how the executive board works.”
According to Hamid, as long as Jahanforouz can help all the different clubs on campus, he will be satisfied.
However, Hamid said he still had concerns over Jahanforouz’s experience.
“I know how finances work and how to work a budget and I am a business major,” said Hamid. “Nima might not have a background on this since he is Biology major.”
Still, Jahanforouz feels he will learn to think critically and develop leadership skills, as ASO Treasurer.
When Jahanforouz takes his place as Treasurer next semester, he plans on holding his first council meeting.
He hopes to set up a workshop to teach club members to fill out applications on organizing events and collecting money.
He sites that many of the members are unaware on organizing events due to the lack of money and all
that is required to fill out an application.
Jahanforouz plans on transferring to either University of Berkley California or San Diego State University in the fall of 2011.