QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Jana Colombini: The Legacy President
Interview by AnnMarie Cornejo
Jana Colombini, the new Associated Students Inc. (ASI) president is ready to take the helm and continue a long family lineage of service to Cal Poly. The fourth-year agricultural sciences major is the seventh member of her family to attend Cal Poly over the past three generations and the second Colombini to be elected ASI president — her brother Jason, a recent ag business graduate now pursuing a master’s degree in public policy, held the seat four years ago.
WHAT WAS YOUR EARLIEST EXPERIENCE WITH CAL POLY?
I grew up coming to Cal Poly during Open House every year. We would vacation nearby. After coming here so many times, you can’t help but fall in love with it.
IN ADDITION TO A STRONG CAL POLY TRADITION, YOUR FAMILY ALSO IS PART OF A LONG TRADITION IN AGRICULTURE. HOW HAS THAT SHAPED YOUR PATH AT CAL POLY?
A lot of us grew up on farms and understand that if you want to achieve something, you have to work for it. Whether you are in a leadership position or not, you still give your all. It is the root of your education — you learn so much more outside the classroom.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE AS ASI PRESIDENT?
It’s my job to be the face of the ASI and to make sure that students’ voices are not only heard but listened to by administrators on the issues that they are passionate about.
DO YOUR DUTIES AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF CAL POLY STUDENTS EXTEND BEYOND CAMPUS?
Students are not always seen in a positive light. Having roots in Cal Poly, it hurts me when others talk negatively about it. I want to change that. As Cal Poly students, we should be connecting with our neighbors, building relationships and friendships, and showing them that we’re here to make a positive impact in the community.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR LEGACY WILL BE AS ASI PRESIDENT?
I want to preserve what we do here. Learn by Doing is not something that you can get elsewhere. I want to make good, thoughtful decisions that will have a positive impact for my kids when they are fourth-generation students here. I believe that when my grandfather was here, he thought about that too.
