Joselin Padron-Rasines loves to dance, a passion that has followed her from her birthplace in Venezuela to UF.
The 20-year-old UF political science and international studies junior became involved in Student Government as a freshman to familiarize herself with the inner workings of government on a student level.
Now she is running as Access Party’s candidate for Student Body president alongside running mates Kevin Doan for Student Body vice president and Nicholas Carre for Student Body treasurer.
“I’m a really passionate person,” she said. “If I go and do something, I’m going to do it all the way.”
She is currently the vice president of operations for the Hispanic Student Association and an employee at the UF Bookstore. She previously was a Multicultural and Diversity Affairs ambassador and a dancer with Sabor Latino.
She has served as treasurer for HSA, and during her two years in UF Senate, she served on the budget and appropriations committee. She was also a senator for District D from 2013 to 2014 and a senator for the Reid/Yulee/Mallory area from 2012 to 2013.
Padron-Rasines said she decided to run with the new party because of the dissatisfaction she saw in SG.
She said if elected as Student Body president, she would work to make SG more transparent for students.
Padron-Rasines said her party’s platform aims to make SG more accessible, affordable and accountable for the student body with attainable goals.
She said Access Party wants to push for online voting, a 24-hour Marston Library, appointment of a chief diversity officer and gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
She said a common problem with elected SG officials is that they become out of touch with students.
She said her involvement in student organizations has helped her connect with students, and as Student Body president, she said she will stay involved in those organizations.
“One big thing I’m real keen on doing is even while I’m being Student Body president, is making sure that I’m still going out to student organization meetings and making sure that that connection between myself and the students are still there,” she said.
Padron-Rasines said her party wants to represent 100 percent of the students and not just a section of the Student Body.
“At the end of the day, I represent 50,000 students,” she said, “so I cannot lose that connection with them while I’m in office.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/20/2015]
Joselin Padron-Rasines
