Justin Deese considers himself a workaholic, which he said is a good thing.
After all, the 21-year-old said, he’s running for Student Government treasurer — a difficult position that he said requires dedication and time.
Deese, a Gainesville native, served as a senator during Summer and part of Fall before becoming associate justice.
He always wanted to serve in leadership, but he said he didn’t like the idea of being paid. So, he opted out.
But after a decision near the end of last semester by the Santa Fe Administration to cut directors’ pay, Deese decided to run for treasurer.
“I’m very excited to finally have the opportunity to fight for the position on the leadership team that I’ve been wanting for a very long time and have competition that I can fight against,” Deese said.
On a typical weekday, Deese spends most of his time at school and studying. When he isn’t doing school work, he’s hanging out with friends or playing Pokémon or League of Legends.
Deese enrolled at Santa Fe when he was 19. He first majored in criminal justice and later changed his major to health services administration.
As a sophomore in that program, Deese still has another four years before he graduates. So, he said he’ll be looking at the long term instead of short term if elected as treasurer.
A main focus of Deese’s platform is taking money from Santa Fe’s activity and service fees and directing it toward clubs so there will be more money to spend on what benefits students the most.
Sen. Connor Levine is supporting Deese’s campaign.
“He’s very reserved, but in a good way,” Levine said, adding that Deese is down to earth.
[Editor’s note: Treasurer candidate Timothy Bergman could not be reached for comment.]
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 3/23/2015]
Justin Deese is running for Santa Fe College student body treasurer.
