Third year biology major Camila Avendano was inaugurated as the new Associated Student Senate president in a senate meeting Sept. 12, after the former president abruptly left City College for Germany.

This is Avendano’s first semester on the senate, having been elected for Fall 2008. She is an international student from Chile.

“I just wanted to participate and improve the issues that I think are important,” Avendano said.

Former vice president of senate affairs, Avendano replaced elected president Tanja Khosrawipour in accordance with the senate constitution when Khosrawipour did not return to fulfill the position.

Khosrawipour had previously introduced Avendano to the senate after they had met in a chemistry class.

Avendano said she had not considered running for president. She was unaware that Khosrawipour would not be returning, despite not getting responses to e-mails sent to Khosrawipour before the start of the semester.

“I always thought she was going to come back, so it was a really big surprise for me,” Avendano said.

Student Trustee Sean Knotts, the only returning student senator, said that he was also surprised to find out Khosrawipour would not be returning. While he said he was initially worried about the student senate finding the right leadership, he believes Avendano is “someone that possesses the leadership we need to move forward.”

Knotts also described Avendano’s objective demeanor in the parliamentary senate meetings, as “very thoughtful and patient.”

Avendano has participated in student leadership before. At Trewhela’s English School, a British-run school in Chile for grades K-12, she was president of her freshman class. As president, Avendano organized an educational class trip to Temulco in southern Chile.

She attended one year of high school at Osage High School in Kansas as part of a foreign exchange program, and participated in the Spanish club. She said that she would always try to help people with their Spanish, while they helped her with English.

Avendano said she plans on transferring for Fall 2009, but has not decided where. She also said she is not sure what profession she wants to pursue.

“I know I like biology, … but I’m still thinking,” Avendano said.

Avendano had previously considered dentistry, and is interested in nanotechnology, but she hopes to choose a profession that is unrepresented in Chile, that she can implement in her native country.