In a frenzied race that had candidates spouting out 45-second campaign pitches in a packed Booth School lecture hall, the College Council (CC) voted last night on a replacement for first-year representative Ilknur Aliyev, choosing first-year Jaime Sanchez out of a pool of 18.

Sanchez will serve as representative until the end of winter quarter and for the first four weeks of spring quarter, when SG will hold its slate and CC elections. Aliyev resigned last week for personal reasons, kicking off a frantic race for his seat that drew a rare number of candidates.

“Everyone was equally qualified,” Sanchez said. “I think that I just got lucky, but to be honest I also think that I can definitely promote dialogue, and that’s what I’m here for.”

Although only in an interim position, Sanchez believes that he will still be able to provide valuable insights based on his background as a minority student and an active member of the community.

In the short time he was allotted to make his case, Sanchez brought up his internship in the office of 20th-Ward alderman Willie Cochran, which he said has given him a unique perspective outside of the ivory tower working closely with local issues.

He even touched on the issue of trauma care at the University of Chicago Medical Center, arguing that he would be a voice for community members regarding an issue that University administrators and students have grappled with for years.

“You can bet that the people in the community also have a voice for that, but you don’t hear it and you can lose that voice of the surrounding community in decisions like that,” he said.

SG President and fourth-year Youssef Kalad was not surprised that so many first-years jumped on the opportunity tp serve as a CC representative.

“We worked really hard this O-Week to reach out to first-years, to get them excited,” he said.