Student Life

What is your favorite quote?

"Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it." -Herman Hesse from Siddhartha

What was your biggest mistake as a first year student? What did you learn from that experience?

My biggest mistake as a first year student is that I didn't try to get along with my roommate. Our personalities clashed instantly, he thought I was a bit weird and I thought of him as a closed minded jerk. It came to a point that neither of us was ever in our room simply because we didn't want to see each other. There were three straight weeks where I'm pretty sure we didn't even speak at all, not even a "good morning" or "what's up". It's tough sharing a living space, especially when neither party feels like budging or making a compromise. I was shocked when I returned from winter break to find that my roommate had moved out... into my next door neighbor's room. I was ecstatic to have a single but then I had time to think that maybe I had been the problem too. I was always hung up on the fact that he was the one with the issue, that there was no way that I could have played a part in our mutual discomfort; the more I thought about it the more I realized I was just as wrong as he was. I wish we would have talked about things in a mature way rather than simply moving out. My ex-roommate and I are cool now, and to my credit I haven't had any issues with my roommates since, but I still wish I would have handled that situation better.

How did you choose your major?

When I was younger I would think a lot about what I wanted to be when I "grew up", I very quickly became set on making movies simply because I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. Stories fascinated me in any form, but especially in film. When you're younger, movies just seem to happen. You have no concern for who directors are, or the writers, let alone all of the countless other jobs that go into making a film. One day it occurred to me that there were a lot of people behind the making of movies and television, and I wanted to be one of them. From that point on I've been absorbing as much information about film as I can take in, and choosing to be a Film Studies major at BW has given me a massive amount of tools to accomplish my goals. I'm still not sure what I want to do specifically in the film industry, I just know it's where I belong.

What has been you best experience at BW so far?

My best experience at BW has been joining Greek Life, and I still continue to gain new experiences from it every day. I was someone who was totally against it coming in, I had a lot of the typical stereotypes of fraternities in the back of my mind and couldn't see myself in one. Prior to joining my fraternity took a completely active interest in me and made me feel as though Greek Life is wholly different then how the media portrays it. I thought that those who joined Fraternities were the close-minded freshmen who couldn't find friends, but what I realized was that I was the close-minded person who was refusing to join a group of guys I truly connected with just because of the stigma on Greek organizations. Since joining I've forged meaningful relationships with all years of BW students, several alumni, and it has given me the leadership skills necessary to make an impact on campus. I wouldn't trade my experience for the world, it's made me more tied to Baldwin Wallace and Berea than I ever imagined I would be, and it has allowed me to get the most out of my education.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

I can't narrow down my favorite spot on campus to just one place, so I'm going to have to expand it to three. My first favorite spot is located right at the steps of the Observatory, a relatively obscure arrangement of benches with topiary trees planted in the center. My best friends and I would go there all the time to sit and hang out, it holds a great deal of sentimental value to me especially since I do not go there as often as I used to. My second favorite spot is the Cyber Cafe in the union which my pals and I have cleverly nicknamed "Cyber-Town". You just can't find a better variety of people than down in the Cyber, and although it caused me to develop a rather costly coffee habit, it still is a prime location to socialize and waste an hour or two with some buddies. My third favorite spot on campus is my Fraternity's chapter room, wall to wall couches and 55 inch television, I don't think it gets much better than that... well I'm sure the T.V. could always be larger.

What movie star would play the role of you in a movie? Why?

The movie star playing the role of Logan James Lukacs would most certainly have to be Chris Tucker. I think he's the obvious choice. Ever since his stellar performance in Rush Hour 2, I've thought quietly to myself "that's so me". I must take this time to give honorable mentions to others who were in the running to portray my likeness in cinematic form: Queen Latifah (Bringing Down the House), Ryan Gosling (Remember the Titans) , Brenden Fraser (Encino Man), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun), and of course Hillary Duff (The Lizzy McGuire Movie/Material Girls).

What was the best advice given to you by your parents or family members during your first year?

To tell you the truth my parents never really gave me too much advice going into college (aside from the normal what to bring stuff), what they did give me however was total support in anything that I wanted to do. I was so used to the structured format of high school and routine of daily living that the sudden rush of freedom was not so much liberating, as it was intimidating. I would begin making decisions and find myself on the phone with my mom only to have her keep me in check by telling me to make my own decisions. My parents encouraged me to gain a sense of true independence and to find out what my own values were. I don't think there is any better form of parenting than to let your child find their own way but to always be there as a support system and I'm glad my parents and family have provided that support for me.

Final Word:

Take advantage of what Baldwin Wallace has to offer. Even if you are going here with friends from home, meet new people, go to campus activities, get involved on campus, build relationships with faculty/staff, check your e-mail, don't let people walk over you, question your leaders, squeeze every little last drop out of your experience here. All of those things I said are what you hear all of the time about going away to school so at this point they probably don't mean that much to you. Keep in mind however that as tired as those sayings are, there's a reason that they're said so often. I rolled my eyes at a lot of things when I first came here, but as soon as I started to take all of those things to heart I really began to create a meaningful and unique experience for myself.