From October 16–18, 2026, the Associated Student Union (ASU) Executive Board at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) headed to Garden Grove, California for this 2026 CCCSAA conference. As the Vice President of South Gate (VPSG) of ASU, I’m documenting agendas, workshops, and experiences that mattered. Here’s a look at the weekend through my perspective.
Oct 19 2026
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The mission of CCCSAA is to provide professional development opportunities for [their] members and students, resources for self-agency, make positive change through ethical leadership, provide a network for open and honest communication, and to make a positive impact in social justice and equity.
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I made it to the hotel lobby before anyone else from the board. To avoid loitering charges, I went to Starbucks and got myself a black coffee just to have a place to sit down. Once everyone arrived, we printed our name tags at the kiosk on the check-in table by entering our student government emails. It was nice to have something as proof that I am me and nobody else.
The Opening Session featured a buffet dinner with pasta and refreshments, including lemonade, followed by an awards ceremony and speeches. One of the remarkable keynote speakers was Eddie Francis, who delivered an hour-long speech reflecting on the lessons he learned during his early involvement in college leadership.
Friday night entertainment featured a karaoke event and some board games. However, I decided to take a long bath instead and plan ahead for the workshops on the next day.
The first workshop that I went was titled "Beyond the Horizon: Visualizing the Leader Within". The session lasted for 90 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. It was hosted by Denise Martinez from Solano Community College who currently serves as the Director of Finance on CCCSAA Board.
The idea was to develop deeper self-awareness by creating a vision board that represented who we are and who we aspire to become. Despite the limited time available, I was able to create a piece inspired by Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince).
The second workshop that I went was titled "Leadership 101". The session lasted for 90 minutes from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. It was hosted by Rosa Moncada from Rio Honda College who currently serves as one of the Directors at Large on CCCSAA Board.
I published the workshop notes on Google Docs. Access it here.
The third workshop that I went was titled "Your Em-Path to Leadership Success: Empathy in Leading". The session lasted for 90 minutes from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was hosted by Oliver Kolb and Cayden Bartel who currently serve as student leaders at Chaffey College.
I published the workshop notes on Google Docs. Access it here.
There was this one girl from a college in NorCal who sat with us during dinner. She claimed that Joe’s Italian Ice, just down the block, was life-changing and a must-try. In fact, she was not far from the truth. The store always seemed to be packed with people waiting in long lines. As the only location operating in the entire state of California, it had become an attraction for both locals and tourists alike.
I would rate it a solid 7/10. (Totally not sponsored btw)
Right after breakfast, student leaders wandered around the ballroom and looked for people to trade college merchandise with. After having a series of conversations, I finally managed to trade for a T-shirt from LA Mission College. Unfortunately, the shirt was an XL, which made it too big for me to wear comfortably.
We were each given $185 in cash to have some meals on our own since the hotel did not provide all of them. However, even by the third day, I had barely made a dent in the allotted amount, with my remaining cash still in the triple digits.
According to the spending guidelines shown above, all unused funds had to be returned. So, I decided to use some of the money to purchase Halloween candy for students at the Southeast Campus and returned the remaining amount to VPF. I plan on bringing the candy to campus during my upcoming office hours this Wednesday.
CCCSAA SLC conference was one of the most remarkable experiences I had this year.
The environment itself was particularly uplifting. Many of the people I met demonstrated strong leadership skills and a genuine drive to achieve their goals. Being surrounded by like-minded people reminded me how much our environment and the people we interact with can influence our own growth.
Moreover, I appreciated the opportunity to bond with my fellow ASU Board members outside our usual campus responsibilities. Beyond the workshops and activities, these shared experiences made the conference memorable and gave me a greater appreciation for the people I work alongside.
