MingJun Zha (upper left) distributing Welcome Packages with GGC.
MingJun Zha held office as the International Senator several times between Winter 2022 to Spring 2025.
MingJun Zha dedicated much of his time at UC Santa Barbara to uplifting the international student community of which he belonged. Over the course of three years, Zha took on various responsibilities within the Global Gaucho Commission, pushing for legislative change and supporting the Board’s projects logistically.
“Because I was once left in the rain, I want to lend my umbrella to others now that I am capable.”
MingJun Zha
In Winter 2024, a Senate bill officially recognized Zha’s proposal to pilot the GGC Community Contribution Specialists Program. The program set up a framework for GGC to award honoraria to students outside the A.S. who have made significant contributions to the well-being of international students. The pilot program found success under Zha’s facilitation, and was written into GGC’s legal code in Spring 2024. He reflects that reading the applications from students was his best memory, as he was amazed by all the work being done for the international community on campus. Zha’s program still supports students yearly.
Since 2024, GGC has been able to fund numerous projects and programs hosted by Board members and by Registered Campus Organizations thanks to a lock-in fee proposal initiated by Zha. The bill made it onto the 2024 A.S. General Election Ballot, and passed with an 84% approval rate, hence securing an annual budget of about $45,000 for GGC. Zha further pushed for an increase in GGC’s lock-in fee during the Spring 2025 Elections, but the bill fell short by a few hundred votes.
Apart from his outstanding achievements in instigating international-student-serving legislation, Zha was also a treasured teammate when it came to the internal projects of GGC. As an experienced member of A.S., Zha assisted the 2024 GGC International Student Welcome Package project by handling the procurement, logistics and requisition process. He evaluated quotes from numerous merchants and service providers to select the most cost-effective solution.
Zha also helped shape GGC’s Funding Guidelines and legal code. GGC would not be the way it is today without his contributions.
Yet, Zha’s journey at UCSB did not begin on smooth-sailing waves. The culture and language differences left him feeling lost. Zhe recalls that he was unaware of the resources that were available to him when he first arrived. It is this experience as an international freshman that led him to work with GGC. “Because I was once left in the rain, I want to lend my umbrella to others now that I am capable,” says Zha, expressing his determination to make sure no international student is made to feel the way he had.
Zha’s experience in A.S. gave him a glimpse at how the real world functions, and perhaps the role he could play. “The things that seem so formal from [the] outside are just run by normal people like you and me,” he jokes. “Trust yourself and your peers; everything is possible if we work together.”
The bureaucratic system of A.S. had presented great challenges to Zha, but he is optimistic that incoming members will be guided by their Senate Liaisons. Ultimately, he is grateful that his own hard work as GGC’s Senate Liaison has drastically improved the commission.
Finally, Zha shares his biggest hope for GGC, expressing, “I wish GGC could continue to provide service to the general student body—not just [act as] an experience for us on the GGC Board, but a service to students.”
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