Name: Kenneth William Papke IV
Age: 22
Hometown: Oswego, IL
Major: Marketing in the Professional Sales sequence
Fun Fact: I was born in Alabama and I speak a little German
Her Campus Illinois State: Who is your role model?
Kenny Papke: I would say Will Ferrell because he’s a sarcastic guy. He brings humor to anything he does and I try to emulate that. With anything I do, I try to bring sarcasm and humor to it. I went to a party one time and I wore a fisherman vest and had all the pockets filled with things. One had nuts, so I’d open a pocket nonchalantly and just start eating nuts waiting for people to see me.
HC ISU: What’s your favorite Will Ferrell movie?
KP: They’re all really good. I would probably pick Semi-Pro because it’s all a joke about sports and I kind of don’t like sports; sports in general are just stupid but that’s just me.
HC ISU: You’re wearing an Olympics hat.
KP: This is Olympics. This is not sports. Olympics are trying to be the best and fighting off different countries. Sports is just purely to make money. But I like the Olympics because it’s not all about that and I liked Semi-Pro because they made fun of sports.
HC ISU: What type of music do you listen to?
KP: I like things that are different and not generic – I like funky stuff, jazz, and I also like pop as well. I like an infusion of different music genres into one.
HC ISU: What’s your favorite quote?
KP: “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone. But when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you’re going to remember about me.” -Al Capone.
HC ISU: What’s your favorite spot on campus?
KP: The third floor in the Bone when the sun sets in the lounges so you can see the sun shining over the football field and have the perfect view.
HC ISU: What are some of your hobbies?
KP: I like throwing hot coffee on people when they piss me off. Just kidding. I like standing behind news people when they’re on live TV and fighting crime at night. I play hockey and golf, and I like to write and make funny videos.
HC ISU: We’ve interviewed you and the guys who started your NuGrad program a couple years ago – now you all run a blog site, Business Casual. How did you get started with these projects?
KP: NuGrad was the start of everything that we’ve done creatively. That started with our friend Jack, who’s an alumni of ISU, and he was going down that path of entrepreneurship. He wanted to start another project so he told us about his idea and we loved it. We tried it out for a year and it was tough to get traction with it. We liked it but we weren’t in love with it. It’s not our passion. Our passion right now is humor and that’s always been evident. Business Casual was my idea but I couldn’t do it alone so I told the guys about the idea and they loved it. We love business so much and we love humor so we just combined the two. Basically, what we do is talk about business news but we put our own opinion on it with humor. Business Casual is becoming a sort of lifestyle/business/humor blog. We’re continuing on with Business Casual today, hoping to make it something more and plan to continue after graduation.
HC ISU: What RSO’s are you involved in?
KP: I’m in the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. Also, this year, a couple other guys and I are starting up a new RSO on campus – the Inner Business Fraternity Council. We’re trying to create a structure of all the major business fraternities in the College of Business. We want to put in a system that’s fair and just try to bigger the market share of people who are interested in a fraternity. Unfortunately, I won’t see this be in effect but I’m not doing this for me; I’m doing this for the next generation.
HC ISU: What is your favorite part of being in AKPsi?
KP: I like the part where I can give back. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and when I’m 40/45, it’s a goal of mine to go back and teach when I’ve had a good amount of life experience. I like the aspect of being the teacher. I’ve gained a lot of skills, I have a lot of knowledge and an extensive network. It’s cool being able to give younger people in AKPsi the knowledge and expertise that you have.
HC ISU: What do you like to do in your free time?
KP: I don’t really have free time. Usually my days start and end with me running around doing things. I don’t like free time; I’d rather be busy. But I like hanging out with friends and doing creative things. I like making music, videos, comic skits, blogs; that’s what my free time is dedicated towards. I’ll take 30 minutes to an hour to watch Netflix and that’s my way to recharge the day, but other than that, something has to get done.
HC ISU: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
KP: I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I don’t really make plans. I live my life by one big outline where I don’t try to improv everything and I don’t try to plan everything out. My goal in life is to have fun and to be happy, so wherever that takes me, I’m going to go. In 10 years, I know I’m going to be having fun. It would be cool to be in the media field doing more blog and video stuff and getting a big name in that.
HC ISU: Where can people find you on the weekend?
KP: I would say about 25% of the time in Chicago. About 50% of the time at a friends’ place. The other 25% of the time in random spots.
HC ISU: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
KP: I hate when people interrupt me when I’m speaking. Stupid drivers. People who are indecisive. When people come to my place and I can’t control when they leave.
HC ISU: What kind of impact do you want to leave on the world?
KP: It’s that Beyoncé song – I Was Here. I want people to know that I was here and that I did something good, hopefully something fun, and impactful. I want to be able to help people if they need anything and be able to lighten their days. I’d want to be known for being humorous and being able to put a smile on peoples’ faces.
HC ISU: What’s your perfect date?
KP: First, we start off with getting ice cream, because ice cream is the best. If you are lactose intolerant, don’t even try. I can and will get a 3 scoop waffle cone and eat it all in under 5 minutes. You can try to match me but you will fail and embarrass yourself, so good luck with that. After that, we will go mini golfing no matter what the weather. If it’s raining or snowing, dress for the weather – no excuses. I want to see how competitive you can get and your willingness to win. I have been playing golf for over 10 years and I will not take it easy on you because I believe in equal treatment. If you win, which isn’t likely, we can do whatever you like. If I win, or you can’t decide what to do next, we will then find a trivia night at a local bar to test your knowledge of the world. We will have to work together to beat all the other teams. Our team name will be your name first and then my name, because that’s just how much I care. If we win, we will be drinking in celebration. If we lose, we will still be drinking, just for a different reason. Once we are done with the night, I will walk you home. When we get to your place and standing right outside your door, I will give you a firm handshake and tell you goodnight. Then I’ll be waiting for you to text me that you had a good time. If you don’t, I will cry – it’s happened before.