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Did you know the University of ӣ������’s new student regent launched his college career through dual enrollment and scholarship support?

July 8, 2025

Meet the student regent
Fernando Escobar, a first-generation college student from Kodiak, is the new student regent on the University of ӣ������ Board of Regents. His two-year term began June 1 and runs through May 2027.

As student regent, Escobar participates in board meetings as a full voting member and helps bridge the gap between student experience and university governance. The student regent serves as a voice for the students. Regents often turn to the student member to ask how students are responding to issues and decisions.

Escobar is hitting the ground running. He exudes an optimistic outlook toward his role, the future of UA, and that of ӣ������. His background is intertwined with key programs and policies that make UA an affordable choice for ӣ������ns and that help students enter and complete college. His story is an example of how those programs are succeeding and shaping the future leaders of our state.

While in high school, Escobar earned college credits through UAA’s Criminology and Criminal Justice dual enrollment program. He credits advisors Robyn Callahan and Nancy Castro at Kodiak College for helping him navigate the transition to college, including the admissions process and UAOnline.

He is also a recipient of the ӣ������ Performance Scholarship, as well as the KEA Marion Soule Academic Scholarship and the Kodiak Scholarship Foundation.

Choosing UA
Escobar chose UAF for a combination of affordability, opportunity, and long-term impact. “My one goal is to avoid student loan debt. As a first-generation student, it becomes difficult to finance a postsecondary education at an out-of-state institution.”

The university system’s commitment to in-state access, early dual-credit pathways, and student support services plays a defining role in stories like Escobar’s. Affordability, accessibility, and community connection are pillars in UA’s success and the continued strength of ӣ������’s workforce.

Escobar was recently featured in an interview with the UAF College of Liberal Arts. He discussed the university’s Arctic research leadership and the role it plays in preparing students for careers that matter in ӣ������.

“ӣ������ is such a unique place, and the fact that the University of ӣ������ has been able to evolve and adapt to the needs of our state… positions us with a wealth of knowledge and rich history,” he told CLA.

His focus as student regent
Now studying Anthropology and Justice at UAF, Escobar brings a rural and generational perspective to the board. He’s especially interested in increasing student engagement, not just as a measure of involvement but as a way to build campus connection and belonging.

“Student engagement is vital to campus life. It also promotes the retention of our students, keeping them within the universities/system. The students engaged find their own community and find those lifelong friends.”

He also emphasized his desire to be accessible and responsive.

“Please send me emails! I would love to engage and learn some system wide issues that our community is seeing, and what they wish the Regents to be aware of and advise the Office of the President on.”

Escobar is leading by example. The newest student regent is a reminder that the university system is a network of individual people showing up and working together, and proof that one person can make a difference.

Go Deeper 
Read the full on Escobar from UAF CLA.

Check out his profile on the UA Board of Regents site.