Ernesto Alvarado | President of the Student Association (2009 - 2010)

After leaving his native El Salvador with his family to escape a civil war, Ernesto Alvarado attended college in Tennessee and studied Italian culture in Florence, Italy before transferring to UB to pursue a degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Studies. Continuing his Italian studies by taking on a minor in Italian, Ernesto is a truly well-rounded and diverse student.

A gifted athlete, Ernesto made the UB varsity soccer team in the spring of 2008 and served as the leader of the UB men’s soccer team which was ranked 2nd in the Northeast. Off the field, Ernesto has proven himself through his various involvements in several SA activities, including the Latin American Student Association, or LASA. After only one semester with LASA, Ernesto was elected to serve as the Association’s treasurer. After becoming “LASA’s newcomer of the year”, he went on to win the election to become the organization’s vice president.

In this office, Ernesto not only expanded LASA’s membership, but he helped also to establish the United Latino Organization (ULO) which strives to unify LASA with other Latin American organizations from surrounding schools. Using his expertise in soccer and SA clubs, Ernesto was able to help in the planning of the International Soccer tournament among several other widely successfully programs such as cultural banquets and community service events to raise money for children in underdeveloped countries.

As one of the most influential members of the International Council, Ernesto has been working to close the gap between SA and its clubs. In addition to being a member UN SA, Italian SA, and Club Soccer, Ernesto was honored by being an official on LASA's international fiesta council as well as the MC at this year’s International Fiesta.

In his free time outside of his many LASA and SA activities, Ernesto is an avid soccer fan and an exceptional player; he has played soccer in England, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and Bolivia. He enjoys spending time with his two younger sisters, Bianca and Valentia.

He is currently the President of SA. His wide array of experiences with several of UB’s cultural organizations, clubs, and athletics, makes him uniquely qualified and brings a new perspective to this position. Ernesto offers a great insight as to how SA’s clubs and events really work.