Embezzlement || Andrew Ramirez, FASA's 2023-2024 Treasurer
For the record, I did not embezzle any money
I really did not expect that I would be here, writing this again. The prospect of running for FASA Board again was not something on my radar for a long time and honestly, I was set on not running until very close to elections. And yet I did because I had so much more to give to FASA. Something that Iâve noticed is that it feels very different the second time. Both being on board as well as leaving board is completely different from the first time I did it. Before I get to why I feel this is different, Iâd like to take a moment, and reflect on some of the most important times I had not only this year, but throughout my career in FASA Board.Â
1. âGuys, Iâll play Mr. Brightsideâ
My story begins when I became an intern during freshman year. I originally did it because I thought it would be a fun and cool experience. I didnât necessarily have a strong desire to be on FASA Board. But through the intern program, and planning An Evening With FASA with my fellow interns, I knew that I wanted to be on FASA Board. There was this incredible personal satisfaction that I got from putting effort into creating an event that people really enjoyed. It was from this experience that I got to create a lot the long lasting friendships that I have. Being an intern was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. It allowed me to find this passion that I didnât know I had.Â
2. Friendly Neighborhood Social Chairs
Andreli being so social chair
Shortly after finishing the Intern Capstone event, I ran and was elected as one of the next Social Chairs. This was big undertaking on my part. As someone who is inherently introverted, I knew that I was stepping outside of my comfort zone. However, I knew that I wanted to be the voice for people who were similar to me. I had such an incredible experience in FASA, and I wanted everyone, even the ones who were also introverted to have the opportunity to have a great experience. My time as Social Chair was some of the best times Iâve had in FASA. I was able to recreate that feeling of being proud of creating something that people could enjoy. Throughout my tenure, I found myself being profoundly happy with myself. When my tenure came to an end, there was a lot of sadness. I didnât want this feeling to end. I felt that I had so much more to give. There was a lot of back and forth on whether I wanted to run again. Well, obviously, in the end I decided to run again. Â
3. Money Money Money
The Dirty treasurer pipeline is crazy
After being elected as Treasurer, it felt like a spark got reignited in me. The passion to create things that make people happy was reawakened in a new form. I understood that my time in the spotlight was over, and so I wanted to take on a more mentor role. I wanted to be resource for other people. I could see that there was so much talent and ambition from the newly elected board. I couldnât wait to help make their dreams, aspirations, and goals come true.Â
Throughout my tenure, I was blown away by the growth of the new board. I was so happy to be a part of all of their crazy goals. While it was very stressful to make sure that I could support everyoneâs ideas, a new sense of personal satisfaction came from helping in different ways. One of the things that I am proud of was creating (but not coming up with the really creative name, shoutout MIzzy) a solution to ensuring that PCN could be paid for, since it was the first fall PCN in years. The Jolli-bundle proved to be both a popular and effective method for making sure that both a Fall PCN and competing in Battle of the Bamboo. Furthermore, while some of my ideas werenât able to be realized, I had a lot of fun putting together fundraisers with both my Finance Committees. While it may have been dangerous, the Hot Ones Fundraiser was incredibly successful and fun to put on.Â
As I reflect on my tenure as Treasurer, I found that, while different, taking a backstage role and helping support the incredible talented boardâs dreams was incredible satisfying. I canât wait to see what the future holds for the next group of ambitious, passionate, and talented individuals who will lead FASA in the next year.
4. My fellow board members
So proud of all these cool people
To the FASA Executive Board of 2023-2024: There are so many things that I want to say to you all. First and foremost, I want to say that I am unbelievably proud of all that we accomplished this year. In all my years being on FASA Board, there has been no group that has been as ambitious as you all. And although this often led to burnout and working overtime, I hope you can look back at all that we have done, I find yourself smiling proudly, the same way that I smile when I think about you all. From the big things such as pulling off an unforgettable Fall PCN and winning Battle of the Bamboo, to the smaller, underappreciated things such as bringing back welcome week, and having more interactions with other organizations. You all did it. You made it. And you all killed it.Â
You guys are the ones who shoulder the responsibility of creating an incredible experience, countless opportunities, and unforgettable memories for so many people. I hope you all remember why you ran in the first place. Regardless of the position you ran for, the underlying desire to serve and create a community for people to come together and share a stage, or to share conversations, laughs, tears, and everything in between. I hope that every single one of you can look back, and be proud that you all accomplished that goal. Be proud of yourself for everything that you have contributed to this community that we all love so much. Each and every one of you are incredible.Â
For those of you who are retiring, take a good long, and deserved rest. I know I will be. For those of you on board for a second time, I hope you get the chance to feel the same feelings of satisfaction and personal fulfillment that I did. It will be different, that's a given, but no less fun and incredible.
To my Presidents Alyssa and Bryson: As the only people who had already been on FASA Board before this year, we shared an unspoken bond. Iâm sure Iâm not the only one who thought that it was awesome to watch another group of people grow into their roles. As we kept a watchful eye, I couldnât help but feel like a parent watching their child grow up. From watching you guys being cultural and performance chairs and seeing you rise to be our presidents, I am so proud of you guys. I know it wasnât easy for you so I hope that you can find a sense of pride in all that you accomplished.
Alyssa: You and I have sold our souls to FASA for 2.5 years. I am so happy I have gotten the chance to be not only your co-worker for this long, but also your friend. We've still got one more year ahead of us so I will be continuing to annoy you with corny jokes and whatnot. Hopefully youâll continue to entertain me with the chismis, stories, and jokes that I have come so accustomed to.
Bryson: Man. Itâs finally come my friend. Itâs time. đ In all seriousness, it was really nice to have you with me with this new board. I knew I always had someone I was comfortable with to talk to at board meetings or events. Itâs been really fun ;)
To my successors, Gabe and Mizzy: To be completely honest, it took me awhile to remember that I wasnât social chair anymore. For the first couple weeks, I always thought my agenda section came after culturals lolz. From being the previous social chair, I did have high expectations for you guys. But the only reason I did is because I knew you guys could meet them. Not only did you meet them, you blew my expectations out of the water. Firstly, to be honest, I had reservations about bringing back Welcome Week. However, instead of voicing that, I wanted to see what youâd do with it. Genuinely, I thought that your Welcome Week was incredibly successful, and one of the best social events of the year. I am so glad that you proved me wrong. As I watched you two grow throughout the year, I saw myself in you guys. I was confident in your abilities to not only uphold what I had done the previous year, but to also improve upon it. You guys handled FAM Heads way better than I did and I think your approach to POTTER Tasks was incredibly fun and inventive. While I know I could have said it more, I hope you two know that I am so proud of the two of you and I couldnât have asked for a better pair of successors. #meowsinsocialchairrizz
Gabe: I had a feeling for awhile that you were afraid of me or at least intimidated from me. I hope after spending this year with you that thatâs not the case anymore. Youâre growth this year has been, in my opinion, the biggest Iâve witnessed out of anyone. Iâm so proud of how far youâve come when it comes to running events and public speaking. As someone who also struggles with that, I have always empathized with you when it comes to that. However, your ideas to innovate different aspects of Social Chair have been very awesome to see. Sorry for not giving you the megaphone sooner lmao. And also, I think I would beat you in a fight.
Mizzy: Even though you are my successor, when I watched you this year, I couldnât help but to look up you. Youâre caring and outgoing demeanor makes you so easy to talk to. Watching all the new members feel comfortable talking to you is something that I aspire to have. I know that you were very hard on yourself throughout the year. I think that speaks volumes about how much you care about the things that you do. I hope that you are able to see that you did so much for so many people and that you can finally be proud of the things that you have done. You are inspirational.
5. My final thoughts
Going back to my original thought, the reason why I think that this retirement feels different from the first is because I am finally satisfied with myself. The first time I retired from Social Chair, I was sad. I didnât want it to end because I knew that I had so much more to give. This time around, I feel accomplished. I am proud of all that I have accomplished throughout my 2.5 years serving FASA. While Iâll miss being in the know about whatâs going on in the background of FASA, I am optimistic that the next group of people will carry on what I and so many others have accomplished through the years. More than anything, I canât wait to be a general member again. I canât wait to experience the mystery, wonder, and awe that is going to a FASA event and not knowing what will happen. FASA has been so instrumentally crucial to my college experience and I canât wait to see what my final year has to offer.Â
Actually me rn cause Iâm excited for the future of FASA


















