TJ Villamil
Tj Villamil has already been a mayor, and now he's going for president.
Villamil was elected town mayor by his third grade class. Now, as a senior at UF, he hopes his peers vote him Student Body president.
The 22-year-old telecommunication senior was born Jose Antonio Villamil IV. But everyone calls his dad Tony, so he's Tony Jr, or Tj.
In Spring 2009, Villamil was assistant director of the graduate affairs cabinet, and in Fall 2009 he won the District B Student Senate seat with the Unite Party. He eventually chaired the Budget Committee, and now he is Student Body treasurer.
"SG Finance took my heart," he said. He's also a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
Villamil said his goal is to leave a substantial legacy. He also wants students to leave the university with less debt.
He said he wants to build upon his party's foundation.
He wants to use open-source e-textbooks, which are professor-generated. He said they are free online and $20 to print.
"I don't want finances to get the in the way of the college experience," he said.
Current Study Body President Anthony Reynolds met Villamil about three years ago through SG.
Reynolds said he has successfully worked with Villamil on budgets.
"Tj has done a phenomenal job stretching money and making it work," Reynolds said.
Villamil said he's a Florida boy at heart, and when he graduates, he would like to start his own Internet company in Florida.
"I think I feed off the energy of sunlight," he said.
Sabine Justilien
Sabine Justilien, Unite Party candidate for Student Body vice president, supports the little guy.
The 21-year-old English junior from Miami said she wants to allow smaller organizations to have more of a presence in Student Government. She also said she wants them to become self-sufficient.
"Justilien is the current Division Chair for Campus Life in the SG Cabinet. Her job consists of overseeing and giving advice to the four cabinets under her - Orange and Blue, Student Organization Outreach, Housing and Greek Affairs.
She's also a sister of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Justilien said her best experience in SG was FestivUs, a cultural art fair with about 12 organizations, last spring when she was in the Multicultural Affairs cabinet.
"It helped promote unity and the ability for people to go beyond their normal culture," she said.
After college, Justilien wants to write children's literature that is relevant to minorities.
Lorena Silva, a 19-year-old hospitality and tourism management freshman, went to high school with Justilien.
She said Justilien encouraged her to apply for the Leadership Development Institute with the Black Student Union.
"If there's one person on this campus I look up to, it's Sabine," she said.
Juan Rodriguez
Juan Rodriguez loves finance, but he is a political science and criminology major. His mom often asks him why.
The 20-year-old junior started college as an economics major. But he wasn't passionate about the classes, and he switched fall of his freshman year.
"When I think of finance, I don't think of numbers," he said. "I think about helping students and being economically responsible."
Rodriguez, the current Student Body vice president, is also the Unite Party candidate for Student Body treasurer.
Before Rodriguez was appointed VP, he was a Student Senator on the Budget Committee.
He also served as president of the Hispanic Student Association and is a brother of Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity.
He said that as treasurer, he would put every SG-funded organization online and increase communication with a monthly treasurer meeting.
Rodriguez accepted the vice president position because it was a great opportunity, he said, but he grew up in the finance office.
"I feel like the treasurer's office was always my thing," he said.
Virlany Taboada, former Student Body treasurer, took Rodriguez under her wing, she said.
"He was just a really active freshman," she said.
She said now he has the VP and financial expertise.
Rodriguez said his biggest dream is to live in South Beach and work at a "big fancy law firm."
Unite Party executive candidates, Tj Villamil, Sabine Justilien and Juan Rodriguez, pose for a campaign photo.
