From the president
Kristen Joyce Lopez is a first-year student at the College of DuPage studying psychology with aspirations of pursuing pre-law. Kristen is a strong advocate for her fellow community college students and has a multi-faceted approach that includes advocacy at the institutional level, peer empowerment, and civic engagement in the wider community.
Kristen serves as a current representative of the Student Leadership Council and will serve as the organization’s president in 2025-2026. She is the founder and president of COD Cares, a club dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities for students to volunteer and give back to their communities. Kristen is also a member of the COD Votes student committee, where she does non-partisan classroom presentations to encourage students to use their voices and vote.
With a keen interest in the legislative process, she has held legislative and congressional internships respectively, has engaged state lawmakers around issues concerning students, and served as a poll worker in past elections with our local election office. She is a trusted judge for the National Speech and Debate Association after competing at the state level for multiple seasons. Kristen loves connecting with people and public speaking, which has helped her in her advocacy work.
Personal Statement
Finding my voice when it came to advocacy was difficult to discover. Growing up in a predominantly white town, I felt a large disconnection between me and my classmates. I grew up ashamed of my cultural background, especially when I would bring in lumpias, pan de sal, or any other Filipino food. I wanted to fit in badly. I grew up in an environment where I was very conscious of being Asian. It wasn't something that was championed due to it being "different". From a young age, I remember wishing that someone--anyone--would step in and stand up for me since I couldn't find the courage to do it myself. I look back at my younger self with sadness. I may be asian, but I am more than just one defining characteristic. When I got older, I heard a quote that said, "be the person your younger self would've needed". This is something that influenced my leadership philosophy.
Today, I am now someone that my younger self would look up to. I want to give more than I take in this world. I advocate to be someone that makes others feel heard. I advocate to be a line of support. I advocate to be someone that people feel comfortable confiding in. Leadership is making sure that people are seen even if they don't verbalize their thoughts constantly. I lead to make people feel heard--and not just listened to--and cared for.