Associated Students of Cerritos College incoming student body president Lance Makinado was sworn in to office on May 2. The ASCC former president Jazmin Ramirez previously held the position.

Regardless of his current position in the ASCC senate, president Makinado continues to be a part of the student body on campus. One of the main reasons that motivated his desire to run for the presidency was his own dissatisfaction, as a student, with the way things are currently ran on campus.

Makinado speaks about his motivation for wanting to become ASCC president.

“Having spent a great deal of time with the ASCC I’ve been witness to the types of speculations that it endures regarding whether or not it really does serve the needs of the campus.”

Ideally, we are supposed to be there to improve the quality of life that the students have access to here on campus.”

To his colleagues and friends, Makinado is very well known as a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. It is rarely known that in order to enlist in the military, he took advantage of a special program offering 17 year old students a chance to enlist early in the military. His desire to enlist in the military stems from a long history of military service in his family that spawns as far back was World War II.

As an ethnically mixed American sharing a Japanese and Filipino background.Makinado had to wrestle with the effects that World War II Japanese concentration camps had on his family. His mother alone was interned at the Manzanar concentration camp in the Owens Valley region of California.

“You have to understand that was a time where people fought a certain way.” Fortunately, we are past that. Looking back, I feel that my decision to fight for us was based on the fact that, yes we did make some mistakes, but at the same time, you have to understand that everyone was afraid.”

In relation to his open and friendly character, Raquel Ramirez details her experience in working with president Makinado prior to his election.

“He becomes a friend to everyone.That sounds very cliche, but it’s so true”

He is more than just an acquaintance to most people because he really cares about the other students here on campus He really cares about the issues that are going on now.Anyone who comes up to him finds it so easy to talk with him” she said