Previous VP will replace Elliot Rogers for 2014-2015 academic year
By Stephen Cook
Jeffery Redmond, current vice president of Student Senate, was recently elected president for the 2014-15 academic year.
In addition to working with student senate and going to school full-time, working toward an engineering degree, Redmond is also involved in Model United Nations, Phi Theta Kappa and is a team leader in the international club at the college. He also works full-time as a welder and a machinist at a metal fabrication shop on the weekends, working three 12 hour shifts.
“The most important thing to learn in trying to take on a lot of tasks like that is to plan time for your friends, or plan time for your family,” Redmond said. “Incorporate that into your schedule, otherwise your workload will just bleed out over everything.”
His interests affect his approach to leadership as well as important topics.
“I tried to tell people when I was running, I’m not a politician, I’m an engineer,” he said. “Being environmentally conscious and scientifically literate is probably the most important quality, going forward, at least, the future I see.”
Last year’s presidential position was uncontested; current president Elliot Rogers was glad to see competition this year.
“Senate has changed a lot from what it was,” he said. “Some of the people running have seen all of that change and they know what kind of a mission I went into running the senate with and what I was trying to change about senate and I think that they really see where they can go with it.”
Rogers said Redmond’s prior experience as vice president will definitely help him transition into the role of president.
“People already know of him and know kind of how he leads things, he’s been working a lot leading the service and fundraising and I know he’s done a lot with interclub council as well,” Rogers said. “So there’s much less room for surprises which I think is going to benefit the senate at least, if not him as well.”
As he steps in his new role as president, Redmond said what he is most looking forward to is spreading his ideas about life to the student body, motivating them to take control of their own future.
“It involves one of the biggest concerns I think of ours, or any generation, is that no one is coming to save us,” he said. “It is our responsibility how our future turns out. Trying to make that a focus in the minds of the people around me in my community is now through this opportunity possible to achieve.”
Redmond is a strong believer in working together with new ideas. In the past, he has seen individuals try to take control themselves, which can create division, making people be critical or judgemental.
“It’s about facilitating the ideas,” Redmond said. “I think in order to enact the belief of expanding community involvement, it’s not about me giving them ideas, it’s about us coming up with ideas and developing them together.”
This will be accomplished through a continuation of servant leadership.
“I have a lot of friends here and a lot of great relationships have been made here and that’s something that I think everyone should have the opportunity to have,” he said. “You’re going to have the activities no matter what, well, how about we give it a real reason why we’re doing it.”
Although he stays busy, Redmond said working doesn’t feel like work for him, “it feels like you’re living your life.”
“I really just like helping other people or just getting to know people and what I’m doing right now where I get to involve myself, feel like I’m making some type of difference in my personal community gives me that fulfillment.”
Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.