Strong women in Kareen Holstrom’s family have influenced her leadership journey, including becoming president of San Diego State University’s Associated Students in 2025, part of the first all-female leadership group.
“I do attribute it to my village growing up,” the senior, majoring in industrial organizational psychology with a minor in leadership, said. “From a young age, I was involved in a lot of community-based organizations that pushed me to kind of step outside of myself.”
Holstrom, a native of Claremont, California, was a Girl Scout, joined her high school’s student council and participated in Rotary International’s youth programs. She was also raised by educators (her mom, grandma and aunt), and she said this has also impacted her life choices.
“I think that growing up, I wanted to model the compassion and dedication that I saw my family put towards their communities, whether that be in the classrooms, the church they engaged in or my Girl Scout troop,” she said. “There were all these ways that my family was really engaged in impacting the community, even if it was small, and I think that I knew that I wanted to do that throughout my educational experience.”
At San Diego State, Holstrom is involved in leadership roles with Gamma Phi Beta and Rotaract of SDSU, the collegiate level of Rotary International. As Associated Students president, she collaborates with the all-women board to help uplift student voices and projects, promote shared governance and improve student life on campus to over 41,000 students.
She explained it’s been extra challenging in 2025, because students have had to worry about things outside of their control, such as SNAP benefits being cut.
“I think students overall across campus are just feeling really overwhelmed, like with the external climate (off campus) and in our federal climate,” she said. “Those are things that impact students on a day-to-day basis as far as their livelihood. It’s hard to get students to engage when they’re feeling threatened elsewhere. So that’s why this year at Associated Students we tried to create a culture of belonging so that students know that they have a place to go, even if they just want to talk through some of those hard issues.”
Holstroom added that having an all-female Associated Students board has helped get actions done more efficiently.
“We found that the five of us connected really well relationally, which then translated into our individual passions for the work that we do within our roles,” she said. “One of the greatest things that I’m really proud of is just the engagement that we’ve seen and the willingness of student leaders to show up and to connect and work towards impactful issues.”
In 2025, the Associated Students board led a community fundraiser called the Aztecs Rock Hunger campaign, which helped raise $114,567 to help the Associated Students’ food pantry, SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.
When Holstrom is not leading efforts to improve student life on campus, she said she loves exploring San Diego County for new places to eat and spending time with friends.
Here are her favorite places she recommends in and around San Diego State.
Kareen Holstrom is a senior attending San Diego State University and is the 2025-2026 Associated Students President. (Associated Students of San Diego State University)
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?
A: The Living Room Coffeehouse is a popular hub for students because of the warm, cozy ambience and the delicious drinks. My favorite drink is a strawberry matcha, but they have amazing options to choose from. Whether you need to catch up with a friend or get some work done, this is a great spot to support.
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?
A: Nathalie B Designs is a popular pop-up vendor at SDSU. Nathalie B Designs has unique, personalized jewelry designs. You can make your own charm necklaces, bracelets, bag charms and more. As a small business, students engage in helping other students pick out designs and purchase the jewelry on campus, which adds a personal touch to jewelry shopping.
The Scripps Cottage and koi & turtle pond are located on campus at San Diego State University on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in San Diego, CA. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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The Scripps Cottage and koi & turtle pond are located on campus at San Diego State University on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in San Diego, CA. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Where is your favorite open space?
A: Scripps Cottage and Turtle Pond. This landmark on our campus is a great place to sit and relax in between classes and during free time. With its grassy hill and gorgeous pond with fish and turtles, it is a relaxing area amid a busy campus. The walk around this area always clears my mind, and reading or journaling in this area has become one of my favorite pastimes.
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork?
A: In the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, there is a piece of artwork on the third floor, which houses our Associated Students Council and meetings of various student groups across campus. This mural of a tree is symbolic of a sycamore tree that was in the heart of the old student union. The piece is a stone and glass mosaic of the tree. Over a thousand individual leaves were crafted from blown glass, and the tree is meticulously assembled from rock and fossilized wood. The backdrop of the artwork is the wood of the original San Diego State sycamore. This tree is beautiful to me as it is deeply embedded in the history of San Diego State University and speaks to the diversity and experiences of students and leaders who passed this tree, and now see it represented daily.
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark?
A: In the college area, there are several venues that I find myself frequenting. Central to where I live and conveniently go to school, the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre never disappoints. I have seen several concerts at this open-air venue, and I love the open flow of the seating, food and beverage options and cozy feel of the lower bowl. With an impressive variety of artists and the yearly GreenFest concert for students, this venue is a gem on our campus and in the College Area.