You might not know his name, but it’s a real possibility you’ve seen him around campus. Dan DeLeon, the campus supervisor that isn’t afraid to be himself, always has a smile on his face. DeLeon often brings a smile to the students of Sage Creek with his charismatic displays and the energy he brings to Sage as a campus supervisor.

Whether it’s in the street directing traffic or on school grounds talking to the students, DeLeon’s smile is visible from a mile away and the happiness he possesses rubs off on Sage Creek students and faculty members.

“You’ll see me screaming, dancing, and just having fun out there. I have told the principal that I would volunteer to do this because I love it so much,” DeLeon said.

After graduating high school, DeLeon enlisted in the United States Army where he spent 20 years working his way up the ladder from a Private and then retired as a Major in the reserves. Being in the army allowed his leadership qualities to grow and his social wiring to expand.

“I learned a lot of my leadership skills and the way I conduct myself through the military training program,” DeLeon said.

Before working at Sage Creek, DeLeon spent 28 years serving for the San Diego County Probation Department. He worked in every position, ranging from working institutions and juvenile halls, to the gang suppression unit, and then as a manager for the last 15 years. He took pride in helping troubled teenagers find their way and helping them get back on track.

“It’s a passion of mine, so I get to go back to the roots, my first 5 years with the probation department I was working with kids. Then I promoted to supervisor, and manager which caused me to step away, so now at Sage Creek I’m doing exactly what I love to do,” DeLeon said.

DeLeon’s passion for kids, making an impact in their lives and in the community has led him to Sage Creek, he goes out of his way to talk to as many students as he can because he knows how great the Sage Creek community is.

“I love the sense of community here. No matter what position we’re in, whether we’re a custodian, a campus supervisor, a teacher, we are all apart of the same community reaching for the same goal,” DeLeon said.

Another passion of his biking. Not only does he ride his bike around during the week at school, she also bikes during his off-time on the weekends. DeLeon also enjoys running and has run in multiple marathons and several half marathons.

“I’m a big mountain biker, so on the weekends I will put in between 20-30 miles on my mountain bike, and then run for about 10 miles. I’m just trying to stay in shape,” he said.

DeLeon’s happiness and outgoing personality stems from the happy-go-lucky attitude he has towards life. DeLeon believes that life should be something we enjoy doing and that we should have a good time doing whatever we do; life is too short to not have a good time.

“If I am not in control, I don’t worry about it because I really love what I do and I have joy in what I do. I’m here to try to make an impact, even if I can impact one person at this school I feel like that is my purpose.”