Ishan Shah was appointed to the California Student Aid Commission on November 21st, 2011.
He previously served as Commissioner of Human Relations for Alameda County, working with other commissioners to fight the likes of underage prostitution and racism in the East San Francisco Bay Area region. During his tenure, he helped set up an awards program that recognized the efforts of individuals working to better the lives of Alameda County residents.
Prior to his service as a county commissioner, he was a Senator representing Region 4 of the California Community College system in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. Region 4 is quite large, accounting for roughly 1 out of every 10 students in the California Community College system.
Shah has had a wide and varied academic career. He currently attends the University of Southern California, a private school, and is studying Political Science with an emphasis in American government. However, he transferred there from Ohlone College, a public community college. Additionally, he attended vocational school in order to get his California Real Estate license.
During his term, Commissioner Shah hopes to use the knowledge he has gained from exposure to the main three types of higher education institutions (private, public, and for profit) to enhance the CalGrant program. He also hopes to engage student governments across the state in open dialogue regarding student opinions about the program.
