Don't look now, but the University of Central Florida is huge.
It's surpassed even giants like the University of Florida to become the country's third largest university, with a student body numbering around 53,000. Leading those students are Brian Peterson and Michael McGriskin, who hold top jobs in UCF's Student Government Association and work to serve their peers' countless interests.
Brian Peterson
Job: Student body president
Age: 24
Area of study: Accounting major with a minor in legal studies
There is perhaps no better advocate for the University of Central Florida than Brian Peterson.
He gushes about the state: "I love the state of Florida so much." He rambles about the university: "It feels a lot more like home than any other place I've been in a long time." And, over the past few years, he has become the consummate student leader.
Now, Peterson is nearing the end of his run as UCF's student body president, but he's spent years working in the school's Student Government Association.
As a freshman, he won his first senate seat by a margin of just four votes. Since then, he's continued climbing the ranks of SGA, serving two terms as senate president and eventually winning election to SGA's top post.
While he's proud to have spent the past few years serving other students, his term as president is of special importance to him.
"I've had the opportunity to just grow so much this year," he said, noting that life as the No. 1 student executive has taught him about the state university system as well as the wider political world.
Peterson has also made an impact at his school. He and his vice president managed to accomplish 18 of the 24 platform points they ran on, he said, including bringing more free printing to their campus.
Their terms will be coming to an end in early May, and though Peterson hasn't ruled out a future in politics, he's more interested right now in business.
After he graduates UCF, he plans to attend graduate school and become a certified public accountant. Law school could also be in the cards, but Peterson's main goal is to start his own accounting firm.
And where does he want to do that? Right here in Florida, of course.
"I know a lot of people like to leave the state and go off and do other things," he said. "It's too cold for me there."
Michael McGriskin
Job: Chief justice
Age: 21
Area of study: Economics major
Being in the spotlight is nothing new to Michael McGriskin.
The University of Central Florida senior, who is finishing up his term as chief justice of the school's judicial council, has faced a growing amount of media scrutiny in the age of blogging and Facebook.
During a case he heard about student bribery, McGriskin was surprised to see a large crowd and video cameras present. The case was also publicized via Twitter posts.
"That's something I never thought I would have to deal with in this position," he said. Still, he emphasized that he's "open to examination."
McGriskin, who is from Palm Coast, is always ready to talk about the choices he makes and the principles he believes in. He's spent the past year or so as the Student Government Association's chief justice, but he's served as a justice since his junior year.
The SGA judicial council functions largely as an appeals board, but its members also sit on university committees and host outreach events. Members of the board often deal with parking appeals and election issues.
In a few months, McGriskin will fine-tune his legal skills as a law student at the University of Notre Dame. There, he plans to study business law, but he's open to shifting course as he discovers new interests.
Eventually, he hopes to go into private practice and ultimately become a judge. For now, though, working with students is more than enough.
"I love that I'm having a positive impact on the UCF community and that I'm dealing directly with students," he said. "I can be there for them."
Lyndsey Lewis can be reached at llewis@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.
