Jose Villarreal’s family is multigenerational and Texas native. His grandparents were migrant crop workers who never attended high school. Though his mother did not complete high school, his father graduated from Operation Fresh Start, which provides education, mentoring and employment training.
Despite limited formal education, his family emphasized hard work, determination and attaining a college degree. However, their socioeconomic status was a barrier to higher education. Instead, Villarreal joined the job market, spending the next 10 years in various roles, from shipping clerk to distribution manager.
A decade later, inspired by the birth of his daughter and wanting to provide his family with a better life, Villarreal enrolled at Madison College as a Liberal Arts and Science transfer student. Determined to lead by example, he wanted to show his daughter that education is attainable and can benefit her and the community. Today, he serves as the newly elected Student President.
“I have a call to serve – serving in any capacity, in any position that is needed,” said Villarreal, who ran for both Student President and Student Senator. “I’m happy to do any job that was offered to me.”

One of the main goals of his student presidency is to ensure that every seat in the Senate is filled. Villarreal mentions that while they have a student senator in Fort Atkinson, next year’s position is still vacant. Even if the Senate is only one seat short, he stresses that it is still not a full Senate, and every Madison College needs representation.
Additionally, as a Student Senator, Villarreal is determined to monitor national news, especially the “weather” in Washington, D.C., and to pay close attention to the well-being of our international students.
He emphasizes that many national news issues impact us locally, so staying informed is essential, particularly because these factors can influence whether our students enroll.
“This is something that determines if they’re going to go to school or not, and this is the sad reality of that, that any one of us college students have the potential of having our education taken from us because of a different policy that’s coming out with not much backing,” Villarreal said.
He vows to support the International Cultural Exchange, prioritize being on standby, and help the International student body in any way possible, now and in the future.
“We’re a pack. If one of us falls, we all circle and help that person. So it’s important to all of us,” he said
Villarreal works full-time at Exact Sciences, and to say he has been busy this year is an understatement. In addition to serving as a Student Senator and Vice President of Business Professionals of America, he is the 2025 Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Ambassador from Madison College.
Whether it is an elected or chosen role, he encourages other students to become more engaged in their college community, even if they are hesitant, by participating in more clubs and activities.
For new students, he said, “Go for it. You never know how well you can do at any position until you go out and take those few steps. You could be proud of doing it because the hardest part is just showing up.”