From Ohlone Parent to Trustee Candidate - Sonia Salwan Fights for Education for All

FREMONT, Calif. – Veterinarian and nonprofit founder Sonia Salwan is running for Ohlone Community College District Trustee, Area 6. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Salwan, a longtime Fremont resident, first-generation immigrant and mother of three, says her campaign centers on "education for all." Two of her children attended Ohlone College. She says its dual enrollment program helped her son finish a degree and start work as a computer engineer at Amazon at 21. Her daughter transferred to UC Davis and was later admitted to veterinary school.

Salwan's campaign platform has two main priorities. The first is expanding access to required and high-demand classes, along with counseling and mental health services. She says enrollment is suffering because local students are going to other Bay Area community colleges. The second is stricter spending oversight. She criticizes Ohlone for spending millions of dollars on housing planning and consulting without completing any construction, and she calls for more transparency.

Her résumé includes serving on the Alameda County Commissioner on the Status of Women, chairing vocational programs for a Rotary district, and serving as the first woman president of the statewide veterinary organization IAVMA. Her nonprofit work has supported foster youth, children affected by human trafficking and cleft lip surgeries. She cites John Burton Advocates for Youth data showing that 93% of California foster youth want to attend college, but only about 10% earn a degree by age 24.