As the voting period comes to an end for the Bellevue College Associated Student Government (ASG) Elections, there is still much to find out about our ASG Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates. Over the course of this election, the candidates participated in separate sit-down interviews with the Watchdog to discuss their overall campaign experience and what to expect if they win the election.
On Wednesday, presidential candidate Daniella Salima and vice presidential candidate Dan Diakubama sat with the Watchdog to discuss their background and experience prior to the new election season. They explained that their campaign has been “good so far,” sharing that they have been collaborating with their campaign volunteer groups and engaging with as many students as possible on campus.
Part of their campaign involved classroom visits, as Salima shared their collaboration with multiple professors through different classrooms to further connect with students apart from their tabling experience throughout the past week. “People behind us are trying to support us as much as possible,” said Diakubama.
When asked what inspired them to run for these new positions, Diakubama answered, “I am starting my second year here, and ever since my first day, I have been trying to get involved as much as possible.” Diakubama explained that his experience consisted of trying to join clubs and eventually finding out about ASG BC before involving himself. He said, “I have really enjoyed them. They are all really good, friendly and I learned a lot about what they’re doing. I learned how they are advocating for students and giving me the desire to continue to do that. I was part of the student government in my high school, I was trying to see how it would be at the college … and I wanted to be part of that.”
Diakubama also shared how he noticed that “a lot of students didn’t know about the student government, which was really sad for me. When I was trying to bring my friends, it was kind of hard—I wanted to break that barrier.”
As mentioned in a previous article about the candidates, Salima and Diakubama have prior experience serving as members of ASG as the Vice President and Student-at-Large on the S&A Fee Committee, respectively.
Since 2024, Salima has served in the ASG as a Student Senator and Vice President, sharing how her experience as a Student Senator built her curiosity about the student government and eventually pushed her forward. “After my time as a senator, I stepped up as VP, and it was just amazing. I learned so much and I was just amazed at how many people wanted me to apply for this position, and how much I got voted for this position. I really want to do more—Gonna give back for all that I received from people, all the love I received as well,” Salima said, explaining that she wanted to “leave a long-lasting impact at BC” as she enters her last year as a student in the fall of 2026.
She continued to say, “This year, I want to step up a little bit. I have done so much, but I have so much more to do as well on campus when it comes to involvement and also visibility. I feel like in my time, we tried as much as we could to make it more visible, but I want to make sure that next year, people are well aware of what we do, and they know they can have a say on the things that we do.”
They both shared that their vision for the future of BC ASG and the campus community, as a whole, was to increase visibility of the student government. “One thing that we loved when we were campaigning throughout this whole week, we wanted time to listen to what people had to say about the campus and how this could be improved . . . We make sure we respond to the needs of people—Not only just our vision, but also what the people actually need, because I feel like we might have a vision, but it might not be what the student needs right now on campus.”
Both also expressed how they agreed that they want to make student life easier for those attending BC next year. Throughout their campaign, Diakubama and Salima have been advocating for a more inclusive environment by engaging with students and asking them “what they want to see next year.”
Included in their campaign is their vocal attempt to make ASG more accessible to the student body. “We really want to have a more united community, and by doing more tabling events, so that people can have that atmosphere,” explained Diakubama. “It is about inclusion and more visibility.”
Both Salima and Diakubama agreed that if elected, they will continue to “maintain the value that BC stands for,” Salima continuing, “as a leader, I should not be overstepping or abusing my power to make someone feel less of a person or less of a student.” She explained how being a leader requires humility and believing in yourself, as well as making sure that students feel respected.
“A lot of people forget that sometimes when you lead, it’s not about you being on top of everyone. It is really about you willing to serve people. It is a place where you go to make everyone feel heard, it is a place where you go to bring everyone’s concern—Be there just for them,” Diakubama concluded.
At the end of the interview, both candidates were asked to come up with three words they would use to describe themselves. Diakubama described himself as calm, funny and courageous or approachable, while Salima said that she’s determined, passionate and diligent.
The next day, the Watchdog sat down with presidential candidate Aizada Gapyrova and vice presidential candidate Lin Khant Min. Over the last few weeks, their campaign has consisted of reaching out to a lot of students during their tabling events. “It wasn’t as easy as I expected, honestly,” Khant Min explained, referencing their collaboration with their volunteer group and the difficulty of scheduling and coordinating throughout the time they worked together. “Our volunteers, they’re wonderful people. They are giving their effort and time into our campaign; it’s quite wholesome.”
Gapyrova added that the campaign “took a lot of energy,” sharing how it was not easy to talk to people. “It’s a personal experience where you have to get out of your comfort zone and talk to strangers, to our fellow students. Sometimes you get rejected, sometimes they are willing to hear you out, but in general, it was a really nice experience to just learn what we are capable of,” she said. Gapyrova and Khant Min have both expressed gratitude to their campaign team, with whom they have collaborated continuously during their election campaign period.
Prior to their current campaigns, Khant Min shared that during the 2025-2026 academic year, he first served as a Student Senator, working with the ASG BC and their faculty advisors at the time. “During my service, I reached out to the faculty, and I reached out to the students, and I talked to them about their concerns, their areas of improvement in the departments. I was able to witness the wonderful work of ASG … The thing is, I also noticed a lot of things—what hasn’t been working, in terms of the outreach system, and what hasn’t been working for the students, so these are the things I would love to improve,” he said, advocating to develop a better feedback system between the student government and the student body as part of his campaign.
While Khant Min worked as a Student Senator, Gapyrova’s student life consisted of serving as a leader for campus clubs such as the Model United Nations, Speech Debate club and also the Central Asian Student Association. “Through that experience, I learned a lot about how student government works and what kind of opportunities are available in general for BC students. I was able to benefit from those opportunities through my club experiences; however, I wanted to bring those opportunities to as many students as possible,” she stated.
Gapyrova expressed the importance of transparency, accessibility and accountability, advocating for a better involvement experience for club leaders and their current and prospective members. Moreover, Gapyrova and Khant Min shared that they wanted to increase awareness about the available resources that BC provides to their students, along with increasing financial transparency to the student body.
“As students, we are here not just to take classes, but also make sure that we are learning essential skills that prepare us to succeed in our future careers, and when it comes to finding jobs or internships when we graduate, oftentimes we feel alone,” Gapyrova said. If elected, she wants to advocate for student opportunities by creating direct partnerships with different institutions for better networking.
“In order to support student success, I think we have to support the faculty’s well-being, so that we can support the students through them,” Khant Min added, advocating for more collaboration between students and faculty when asked about how they plan to achieve their campaign goals if elected.
Referring back to what he believed could be improved on after serving as a Student Senator over the last year, Khant Min explained, “I would love to cultivate and strengthen the connection between the senate and the board of directors, so at the same time, we get to improve the outreach system and make the decision-making more efficient. I would love to really focus on that matter.”
They both detailed how it is not simple to say “I listen to student concerns,” elaborating that “If you listen, you have to act on it. If you don’t act on it and you just listen to their concerns, nothing will happen. The whole cycle would be repeated, and there’s no improvement at all.”
As the interview came to a conclusion, they were also prompted to describe themselves using three words. Gapyrova said that she is curious, compassionate and determined. Khant Min also agreed that he is curious, but he believes that he could also describe himself as empathetic and solid.
After collaborating with both parties, this year’s election campaign made it clear that each candidate is extremely passionate and devoted towards the Bellevue College community, as they all advocate to further improve campus life through their different ideas and strategies.
The future of BC rests in the hands of student leaders who understand the importance of access to opportunities and resources, taking accountability, maintaining transparency and connecting with the students.
