First-year psychology student Analyce Thrasher intends on voting for the first time this election season with one issue in mind: abortion rights.

“It involves me as a woman who would like to have that ability and freedom and control over my body,” said Thrasher. “I believe that should be up to the individual and not up to the state.”

She opened up about the news stories she’s seen, primarily where youth are victims of sexual violence. She thinks the children shouldn’t have to deal with the weight of labor and parenthood at a young age.

Thrasher is one of several Fullerton College students who shared their number one issue for this election season. From abortion rights to preserving democracy, students are keen on improving the country in several different areas.

For first-year kinesiology student Megan Hohn, abortion rights affected a loved one. According to Hohn, her friend is a sexual assault victim and had an abortion.

“I think that with women we should have the right to have the abortion, especially when it comes to health reasons or personal reasons,” said Hohn.

To Hohn, social media is essential in advocating for abortion rights. She reposts content such as abortion statistics and data that shows up on her feed. Hohn indicated that her views on abortion will influence the way she votes, and that she’s more likely to consider candidates who are pro-abortion.

Sofia Isabella Flores is a third-year English and theater arts student. Her prime concern is human rights, especially for females, LGBTQ+ and other minority groups.

Flores credits her interest in human rights to the environment she grew up in. To Flores, being raised around various minority groups helped her hear from several perspectives.

Flores advocates for voter participation; she’s a poll worker and volunteers for HeadCount. Some of her responsibilities include working at a polling location on election day and participating in registration events.

“The fact alone that we have, you know, free elections that people can voice their opinions in is extremely important,” said Flores. “A lot of people… feel like they’re underestimating themselves and the power that their vote holds.”

Second-year student Tiffany Stone is another student that’s focusing on human rights. Her emphasis is on safety and respecting one another.

To Stone, there needs to be more support for minorities who are being mistreated. Stone expressed her worries as a queer person and noted that there’s plenty of fear in the community.

“I’m passionate about people feeling safe and happy and autonomous in their lives,” said Stone. “Maybe one day everyone can experience that.”

Axel Lomeli is a first-year psychology student. He thinks that environmental justice is critical this election season.

“I want to see real change in environmental laws and regulations. The way I see it, we can’t focus on everything else if our world is messed up,” said Lomeli.

Lomeli stated that his efforts on behalf of the environment include participating in trash pickups. He goes to different sites, such as the park by his house, to clean up on weekends.

Arath Mora is a second-year political science student. Mora’s top issue is protecting democracy and the election process.

He criticized the U.S. Capitol attacks on Jan. 6, 2021. Mora thinks that another uprising can occur and that the United States shouldn’t let that happen, and opened up about the importance of dialogue in preventing misinformation. For Mora, conversations promote understanding and reduce harmful language.

“The best thing we can do is educate people and provide the resources to self-educate,” said Mora. “Truth isn’t always easy to find, but we can give everyone the tools to seek the truth out.”