ABOR welcomes new student regent to the board

The Arizona Board of Regents welcomes David Zaragoza as its newest student regent following his appointment by Governor Katie Hobbs and confirmation by the Arizona Senate.

“On behalf of the board, we commend Governor Hobbs on her selection and the Senate on its confirmation of an accomplished Arizona State University undergraduate — David Zaragoza — to serve as Arizona’s newest student regent,” said ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson. “Our student regents play a vital role on the board, ensuring we keep students at the center of our decisions. We look forward to his contributions to our work.”

Zaragoza is a junior at ASU studying electrical engineering and begins serving a two-year term on the board after Regent Rachel Kanyur concludes her term as a student regent. A native Arizonan who grew up in Yuma, Zaragoza said he would like to focus on the needs of rural students while serving on the board.

“College isn’t as far away as many students in rural communities may think. There are higher education opportunities across Arizona and scholarships available to help with costs,” said Zaragoza. “I’m honored to represent rural communities and all university students, and I look forward to working with the Board of Regents to elevate those voices.”

As a researcher at ASU’s Luminosity Lab, Zaragoza was part of a team commissioned by a coffee company to reduce single-use cup waste. His team built and programmed dishwashers to be installed across five coffee shop locations to support a reusable cup pilot program on ASU’s campus. Zaragoza, a native Spanish speaker, is also the secretary of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at ASU and is involved in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus.

Zaragoza will serve his first year on the board as a non-voting member. The governor appoints eight members, in staggered eight-year terms, as well as two student regents who serve staggered two-year terms with the first year as a non-voting member. Entering the second year of her term, Regent Katelyn Rees will be the voting student regent as of July 1.