David Sengthay

About David Sengthay

I’m a community and electoral organizer from Stockton, California, committed to building power in underrepresented communities and strengthening civic engagement at the local level. My work focuses on making local government more transparent, inclusive, and accountable through voter outreach, digital advocacy, and public demonstrations.I’ve managed electoral campaigns in Stockton, including a City Council race that mobilized over households in low-income neighborhoods of color. I’ve organized demonstrations supporting public education, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigrant justice, and built youth coalitions advocating for reproductive wellness and culturally responsive mental health services. As a youth organizer, I center the leadership and lived experiences of queer, Southeast Asian, and BIPOC communities—communities I belong to and remain deeply accountable to.At Stanford, I serve as Chair of the Undergraduate Senate and previously led the Appropriations Committee, overseeing the allocation of over $6 million in student group funding. I also serve as the Director\'s Fellow at the First-Generation and/or Low-Income Student Success Center and coordinate new student programming for incoming FLI undergraduates. In all these roles, I work to ensure that students historically excluded from institutional decision-making have a seat at the table.I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with Honors (B.A.H.) in Urban Studies and a Master’s in Public Policy at Stanford University. Supported by the university’s VPUE Major Grant, I am currently conducting IRB-approved fieldwork in Stockton in partnership with Empowering Marginalized Asian Communities (EMAC). My honors thesis explores restorative justice and the criminalization of Cambodian-American youth through a case study of Southeast Asian youth organizing.After graduation, I plan to return home to serve in local government—first as a Program Manager in Stockton’s Office of Economic Development, and eventually as an elected official. My long-term goal is to advance policy solutions that expand opportunity, combat disinformation, and rebuild trust between communities and the institutions meant to serve them.

Experience

1. Appropriations Chair

   Associated Students Of Stanford University

   May 2024 — Present · Stanford, CA, US

   Facilitated the financial oversight of over 600 campus student groups; directed a committee of 7 fellow senators to earmark funds for a range of student-led initiatives, student organizations, and programming.Administered a budget of $6 million in grant funding, ensuring equitable and strategic distribution across various student organizations to foster campus-wide engagement and inclusion.

Education

• Stanford University

  Master of Arts - MA

  2024 — 2026

• Stanford University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  2022 — 2026

• San Joaquin Delta College

  Associate of Arts and Sciences - AAS

  2018 — 2022