Co-presidents Riley Reid and Susie Lopez Garza of the Aerospace and Rocket Club presented a grant proposal to the Associated Student Government (ASG) on Oct. 24 to launch a STEM-based project.
Building off of their 2024 approved fund to build a high-powered model rocket, they hope to finalize an advanced completion of the model with a final grant that would allow the rocket to launch later this school year.
Led solely by City College students, it would be the first rocket launch ever through community colleges in the state of California.
Reid highlighted the impact this rocket would make.
“If you have the right people, the right passion and you’re efficient enough about it, it could inspire students to pursue their interests,” Reid said.
Lopez Garza then discussed the benefits of joining the Aerospace and Rocket Club, including the opportunity to be a part of industry tours, workshops and internships for career building.
“Our members go to Vandenberg Space Force Base and to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory,” Lopez Garza said.
The club has provided participants with a variety of opportunities.
“Most importantly, we have our engineering projects which last year started with a wind tunnel and we hope to advance to more projects,” Lopez Garza said.
Lopez Garza said this is to ensure that fellow engineering students have something catered to them as well. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has agreed to collaborate with the club to further enrich future community events.
ASG President Samuel Gustafson commented on the potential for the club to reach a department level on campus so they can allocate more funding due to ASG’s financial limit of $400 maximum for each club.
ASG then moved on to their town hall meeting, where several students expressed a growing need for extended library hours, especially for finals. The Luria Library closes at 9 p.m., preventing many from conducting a late-night study session.
City College student Anthony Smith was seeking ASG’s help to open a Saturday study space in either the Multimodal Lab or the West Campus Center.
Smith hopes to create this spot during the weekend for students to develop disciplined habits, improving overall grades and academic work. The proposal is in progress with more details regarding the approval status coming in the following weeks.
A recurring concern raised at ASG is the increasing difficulty students have in finding the right counselor and which classes to take. ASG admitted this is a counseling department issue, but they are offering to reach out so students receive clarity during counseling appointments.
ASG ended with a discussion about the progression of the app NeoQuad, a place where students can access information concerning all clubs on campus, as opposed to individually searching for them through various social media platforms. It is meant to form a community for students to easily connect with others through more involvement.
NeoQuad is still undergoing development, but is proposed to be officially launched within the next couple of weeks.
The next ASG meeting will be held on Oct. 30.
