ASUC Senator Stephanie Wong announced her campaign for reelection to the ASUC Senate with the Elevate Cal coalition March 11.

Wong, who was elected to the ASUC Senate last year, said she wants to focus on strengthening Asian American solidarity, streamlining academic and mental health, sexual violence and sexual harassment, or SVSH, finance reform, and COVID-19 response and prevention.

Wong said she has found it hard to find community at UC Berkeley as an Asian American because of the size and diversity of UC Berkeley’s Asian American communities.

“Before I leave Cal, I’d like to see a more unified Asian Diasporic Community—one where we can authentically support each other in our fights and victories,” Wong said in an email.

Wong also stated she believes not being endorsed by any specific community will help her advocate for all students.

According to Wong, one of her main focuses during her 2022 campaign will be to address funding and space concerns, which she says is one of the biggest issues currently facing UC Berkeley.

“The issue isn’t the lack of funding or space because this University has a $6 billion endowment but rather, the willingness to spend that money on students,” Wong said in the email. “That’s why we need strong ASUC leadership who knows what they are doing.”

Prior to serving as an ASUC senator, Wong worked in ASUC President Chaka Tellem’s office when he was a senator.

Campus junior Jordan Goodwin, who served with Wong in Tellem’s office and as her campaign manager during her first campaign, said Wong is one of the hardest-working people she has ever worked with.

“I have witnessed first hand her dedication to bettering our campus and advocating for each and every student,” Goodwin said in an email. “She is an authentic, confident, and dependable leader who also looks to learn from, uplift, and strengthen those around her.”

Campus sophomore Eliana Galán who serves as the SVSH department lead in Wong’s office, said Wong often takes on many roles within her office and “actually executes those plans.”

Galán also said Wong’s empathy sets her apart from other leaders on campus, citing the care she has for her team when it comes to the sensitivity of SVSH issues.

“Steph has always made sure to be there to support you if you need extensions on deadlines or to take a step back from projects,” Galán said. “She will first check in on you before she even thinks about it in a work setting.”

Wong’s SVSH-specific platforms include advocating for academic accommodations for survivors of SVSH, which Wong said has been a yearlong effort.

She added that her team hopes to establish a process where survivors of SVSH can receive academic leniency quickly without “having to relive their trauma.”

“Stephanie truly exemplifies what a leader on this campus should be,” Goodwin said.