In his home country of India, Priyam Tated is known widely as a world-class roller- and ice-skater.

Tated, who first started skating in childhood, has run the gamut of top-level skating competitions from Paris to Manilla, and has won several national-level skating championships in his native India. According to him, he has also been selected to represent India at the upcoming 2025 Winter Asian Games, the world’s second most prestigious skating competition, behind only the Olympics. 

“Learning how to jump and spin two inches above the ground felt like flying, and it excited me,” reads a post on his Instagram page.

On his Instagram page, he can also be seen rubbing shoulders with multiple-time Olympic medalists PV Sindu and Milkha Singh, and starring in social media campaigns encouraging his fans to post videos of themselves working out. 

Tated, at one point, was even the recipient of a public commendation from India’s current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who awarded him the country’s highest honor for young citizens, the Bal Shakti Puraskar.

“He has made India proud by winning several awards on the world stage,” stated Modi on X.

This success, Tated says, is because of an adherence to what he refers to as “the 3 D’s” — dedication, determination, and discipline.

Yet, while he’s at San Jose City College, he is mostly known on campus as the incumbent President of the Associated Student Government, the governing committee responsible for representing the student body’s interests. 

To friends and colleagues, however, he’s just merely Priyam, a computer science major who moonlights as an Under Armour salesperson on weekends to keep busy, and someone who says their primary goal is uplifting his community. 

“I want to make a mark and have people remember that Priyam is a person who is friendly, who likes to talk to people,” he told the Times in an interview. “I also want to be remembered for what I am, as a problem solver that made sure that the problems we had were solved.”

His predecessor, Valeria Herrera-Vazquez, was broadly popular on campus and is credited with being the driving force behind a myriad of positive changes for students, the most notable of which being the disbursement of multiple no-strings-attached $800 grants for international students last year. 

Vitumbiko Kambilonje, a recent SJCC graduate who served as ASG’s Chief Justice and Head Parliamentarian under Herrera-Vazquez, describes her as someone who “went above and beyond to advocate for students.” 

While the scope of Herrera-Vasquez’s efforts during her tenure may loom large, those the Times spoke to expressed unanimous confidence in Tated’s ability to enact similarly impactful change on campus, describing him as kindhearted and a good leader. 

“I’m excited to see what his leadership will bring to ASG and beyond,” said Kambilonje

Tated stated to the Times that his primary goal is to increase “student connection,” and that he has a broad agenda for changes on campus he strongly hopes to accomplish in full, which includes minimizing levels of single-use plastics on campus and increasing access to student internships. He also revealed that he is currently in talks with Evergreen Valley College’s ASG, in an effort to potentially establish a shuttle for students between the two sister schools.

However, as the community college district has grappled with a $5 million budget deficit that — according to official documents — is only projected to grow in the coming years, cuts to spending have occurred across the board, including to ASG. 

According to Tated, ASG’s budget was slashed by 65% this year, which has jeopardized their ability to fund the various events held by the school’s clubs.

“When I saw this year’s budget and the last year’s budget, it was really shocking. I was like, ‘It’s crazy,’” he said. “I was telling my advisor, ‘What are we going to even do?’” 

Despite the budgetary challenges, Tated remains upbeat, saying that the ASG team’s great internal chemistry and strong commitment to the betterment of students will power them through any adversity they may face.

He pointed out how they cut the $100 stipend awarded to each person after every meeting in half, in order to have more money to distribute to clubs. Tated also spoke to other accomplishments they’ve already made during his term, such as the rewriting of the committee’s bylaws over the summer and the wholesale redesign of the ASG website.

“I believe we will be able to complete all of our priorities before the end of the academic year. I have that trust in my team!,” he stated in a text message to The Times.

Tated says he originally came to the United States and started studying at SJCC two years ago. He explained that a college in Silicon Valley felt like a natural fit for a Computer Science major, and that he picked SJCC over other colleges because he feared the larger crowds of other institutions at the time, something he feels being in ASG played a “big role” in helping him overcome.

“It was a different Priyam before. Now, I think I’ve evolved myself [in a lot of] different aspects,” he shared.

Tated said that he first developed an interest in ASG after a positive firsthand experience seeing how the governing committee supports clubs and works for students, and that his experience as President has taught him a great deal about things such as leadership and working with others.

He also informed the Times that he plans to transfer to a four-year institution following the end of the spring 2025 semester, with the exact college being something he says he will decide in April. 

Tated expressed to the Times that he attributes his success navigating college in a completely new country to the support of both his parents and the friends he’s made while attending SJCC. He voiced hopes that others on campus will be inspired by his story and remain hopeful through any adversity.

“Sometimes, people feel really overwhelmed with having only like 10 or 15 units in their coursework, but I take 20 units every semester with all of this extra stuff,” he said. “I would just want to tell them through my story that it’s not impossible. It is pretty much possible, if you just have your dedication, determination, and discipline out there.”