Joshua Rudy Ochoa was born and raised in Orange County, California. He comes from a single-parent working-class family, and has been politically engaged since he was 12 years old. Since then, he’s moved to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University, where he graduated in spring 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Urban Studies & Planning. He is continuing his education at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to earn his Masters of Public Administration, concentrating in public policy and urban administration.
At SFSU, Ochoa has served students on the Associated Students (AS) Board of Directors by advocating for expanding basic needs initiatives, tuition-free public college, and equitable access to public transportation. He’s served in student government for over three years in the following roles:
- AS Vice President of External Affairs,
- AS Liberal and Creative Arts College Representative
- AS Residential Housing Association Representative
Ochoa has also been involved and served in local democratic clubs in San Francisco, such as SF Berniecrats and the SF Latinx Young Dems. He believes that “we must all be and fight for the change that we want to see in the world”.
Ochoa is currently serving as the student body (AS) President at SFSU, continuing to advocate for the issues above, as well as address the pandemic by pushing for free COVID-19 vaccines & rapid testing kits on-campus and the prioritization of students’ health & safety.