![\"Alan](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2017\/09\/Alan-Florez-\u201998-e1594651467679-759x1024.jpg\")
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Receiving an education at the University of Central Florida can open many doors for a student. Our renowned faculty and staff pour their resources into students and allow them to\u00a0reach new heights that seem impossible. For this month\u2019s Outstanding\u00a0Alumknight, the support he received at\u00a0UCF\u00a0allowed him to work to achieve success in both the government and private sector.<\/p>\n
Alan\u00a0Florez\u00a0was initially interested in\u00a0UCF\u00a0because of the options it provided him. He debated going to USF\u00a0or\u00a0UF, but due to UCF’s location\u00a0and excellent political science\u00a0program, he chose\u00a0to be\u00a0a Knight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the best decision for my own personal interests,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0said. \u201cThe school being\u00a0located in\u00a0Orlando in addition to the campus life and papers I had read that came out of the political science professors really solidified my choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
This choice got him involved in some of his most memorable clubs and activities\u00a0Florez\u00a0had participated\u00a0in to\u00a0date. He was president of the Hispanic American Student Association, which propelled him in\u00a0UCF\u00a0student government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will always remember my O-team leader, Yvonne Castellon,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0said. \u201cShe encouraged me to go to the\u00a0student senate budget meetings. The\u00a0senate\u00a0was discussing the\u00a0HASA\u00a0budget among other club budgets. I was immediately interested with\u00a0HASA\u00a0and being a part of a club cemented my love for\u00a0UCF’s\u00a0environment for student involvement and I took it from there. I later became president of\u00a0HASA\u00a0and\u00a0was asked by the\u00a0student body president to become the Director of Student Lobbying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through his experiences with UCF\u2019s student organizations,\u00a0Florez\u00a0learned how to take issues and fix them. He thinks his involvement truly made him live the\u00a0UCF\u00a0experience. Several\u00a0UCF\u00a0faculty who supported him during his immersion in clubs gave him contacts that led him into the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe position I held was deputy director of legislative affairs,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0explained. \u201cThen I became special assistant to Governor Bush as his personal aide. My involvement and connections were all a result from my time at\u00a0UCF.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florez\u2019 experiences with Bush came just as the infamous 2004 hurricanes were plaguing Florida. Both he and the governor had their abilities put to the test. Florez was able to experience the governor at his best and really got to see his strong heart and ability to put pieces together in a time of emergency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a crisis, nothing is easy,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0said. \u201cThe governor felt strongly about being immediately available where the worst of the storms occurred. It was an honor to work in his administration during this time and to be able to see government performing its most essential function during a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with his busy schedule\u00a0Florez\u00a0never forgot his roots as a knight. He served two terms as a member of the\u00a0UCF\u00a0Board of Trustees and now serves on the Board of the\u00a0UCF\u00a0Athletics Association and the\u00a0UCF\u00a0Foundation.<\/p>\n
Florez\u00a0currently functions as the CEO and Partner of Halifax Insurance Partners. He loves the freedom his career offers him and the opportunity\u00a0to be\u00a0entrepreneurial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that is most gratifying is being able to design what it is you want to do, what services you want to offer and how you want to\u00a0operate\u00a0the business,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0explained.<\/p>\n
Throughout his\u00a0career\u00a0Florez\u00a0has gained indescribable experiences and advice that have shaped him into the man he is today. He wants to pass on some advice he received on his journey to all\u00a0UCF\u00a0students and alumni.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone should be\u00a0involved in public service at one point in their lives,\u201d\u00a0Florez\u00a0said. \u201cIt teaches you valuable lessons and prevents you from being a passive onlooker. You get\u00a0involved and I assure you, it pays back tenfold.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Receiving an education at the University of Central Florida can open many doors for a student. Our renowned faculty and staff pour their resources into students and allow them to\u00a0reach new heights that seem impossible. For this month\u2019s Outstanding\u00a0Alumknight, the support he received at\u00a0UCF\u00a0allowed him to work to achieve success in both the government and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":22313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5962,31,20,3,38,5957,13,16,28,29],"tags":[4339,5040,5037,5038,2711,5039,3489,3540,3559],"class_list":["post-22312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-science-alumni","category-alumni-news","category-psaclassnotes","category-awards","category-breaking-news","category-distinguished-alumni","category-news","category-political-science-departments","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","tag-alan-florez","tag-halifax-insurance-partners","tag-hispanic-american-student-association","tag-o-team","tag-political-science","tag-ucf-athletics-association","tag-ucf-board-of-trustees","tag-ucf-department-of-political-science","tag-ucf-foundation"],"yoast_head":"\n