News Reporter
Born on July 24, 1991, of Spanish, Mexican and Native American descent, Emilse Tapia is ASG’s minority senator and a political science major at CMU. Tapia attended North Monterey County High School in her hometown of Monterey Bay, Calif. Before transferring to CMU, Tapia got her associate’s degree at Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif.
Tapia is an avid runner and participated in cross country and track all four years of high school, as well as two years at Hartnell College.
“I came to CMU for running,” Tapia said. “But I was born with a heart murmur, and they didn’t clear me to run, so I wasn’t able to, even though that’s what I came here for.”
Another attraction was the weather.
“I wanted to come to a school that had all the seasons,” Tapia said. “It snows here, and that was a big plus for me. It was also important for me to have people that I knew here, and the class intimacy is something I really enjoy.”
Tapia speaks fluent Spanish and considers herself “bilingual, but not bi-literate.”
“Spanish was my first language,” Tapia said. “I learned English in kindergarten when I was five.”
Last year, Tapia served as an at-large senator, making this her second year on ASG.
“We go through a lot of bills every single meeting,” Tapia said. “I like knowing what’s going on. It’s cool to know how teams are doing when they come to us needing money because they made it to Nationals. I feel like we do a lot for the campus, and I like being a part of that.”
Tapia got the opportunity to intern over the summer in Washington, D.C. for Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennett.
“Out of everything that I’ve done, I think the internship was the most interesting,” Tapia said. “It was so cool to be there and be a part of things. I would give VIP tours of the U.S. Capitol. I had to go through core training and worked the front desk, too. I think that was the best part.”
During her internship, Tapia also visited New York.
“I feel like I did every touristy thing possible in one weekend,” Tapia said.
After graduating in May, Tapia plans to move back to California for a year.
“I want to take a year off and then go to law school,” Tapia said. “My parents own restaurants back home, so I’d work for them. I want to take some time to regroup, and I would be helping them out too.”
In the future, Tapia sees herself practicing law with a firm of her own.
“I really feel like I could see myself having my own firm,” Tapia said. “My oldest brother just graduated from law school this last December, one of my best friends from high school wants to go to law school and my other brother’s girlfriend wants to go too. We’re all graduating in May, and I think we’re all taking a year off.”
Although her passion for law is strong, Tapia also plans on getting married after law school and raising a family eventually.
arildefonso@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Recent Comments