If you’re on the Rose Hill Campus and have participated in a Fordham-sponsored event at least once, chances are Jake Braithwaite was behind it. Jake is almost the definition of a Campus Celebrity – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognize Jake’s hard work right off the bat. He’s the president of the Residence Halls Association, and a driving force behind some of Fordham’s most creative and much-loved events. Jake also works to improve our daily caf meals as an integral member of the Student Culinary Council. A self-proclaimed theatre junkie, Jake most notably starred as The Boy Who Lived in FET’s overwhelmingly popular (and impossible to see) production of A Very Potter Musical. Putting it simply: when it comes to Fordham, Jake is in the driver’s seat.
Where are you from? Villanova, PA.
What year are you? Senior.
What Fordham school are you in? The Gabelli School of Business.
What is your major? Business Administration, Concentration in Finance, Minor in Political Science.
What activities are you involved in? Executive President of Residence Halls Association, Internal Relations Chair of Student Culinary Council, FET/Mimes and Mummers, I also sit on a LOT of random councils, but I don’t want to bore you with that.
Favorite movie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding is THE brilliant comedy of our time
Favorite band/musician: I listen to a lot of show tunes, and I adore Patti LuPone, but my favorite “normal” musician is probably Adele right now, but it changes a lot. I guess, for good measure, I’ll say Penrose.
Favorite book: Harry Potter, but since then, probably Mainly on Directing by Arthur Laurents. Any book that brings me to tears on the subway is good by me.
Favorite TV show: I recently quit Glee because it felt like it was being written by Madlibs. The best shows on television are all on AMC: Mad Men & Breaking Bad. Everyone should also watch Summer Heights High.
Favorite Broadway show: Gypsy. Closing night of the 2008 production was one of the high points of my life, no joke. The Company production in April with the Philharmonic, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, et al., is poised to beat it though.
You’re a senior – got any plans for after graduation?
I have an offer or two, but I’m holding off on my decision at the moment.
Looking back, what is your proudest accomplishment at Fordham?
I’m proudest of the things I think I’ve improved. RHA has grown a lot in four years and I’m happy to have been a part of it.
What is your favorite part of living in NYC?
The theatre. I’ve seen around a hundred professional shows since freshmen year.
What’s your favorite thing about Fordham? My favorite thing about Fordham is the focus on improvement. Striving for the magis is a Jesuit mantra I hold close to my heart, instilled in high school. The amount of growth and change I’ve seen in many Fordham departments over the past three and a half years has been astounding, and has inspired me to do the same.
What’s your LEAST favorite thing about Fordham? I hate to pick a least favorite thing. And I don’t hate anything quite enough to stick to one least favorite thing for a very long time. But right now, my least favorite thing is probably the weather. Having spent so much of high school indoors (the perks of being a theater kid) I still find it difficult to plan my outfits based on the weather. I’m often WAY too hot or WAY too cold. The unreasonably powerful heating system in FMH and the lack of one in JMH don’t help matters.
What’s your favorite Fordham memory? There are so many great ones, but one of the best ones was last year’s Under the Tent Dance: Pure Imagination. It was sort of a pet project of mine and to see it come to fruition was a joy.
Where’s your favorite spot on campus? I’m a big fan of Conley (tower 4 of the new buildings). The newness was a bit off-putting at first, but they really feel like home now.
What’s the one thing that every Fordham student should do before they graduate? Everyone should get to know the people who work on campus in food service, security and custodial. My bonds with such a diverse group people on campus have pulled me through, especially on bad days. Rimona from the Deli is near and dear to my heart, in my opinion perhaps the friendliest person on campus everyday.
You went to a Jesuit high school, and then to a Jesuit college…What’s so appealing about a Jesuit education for you? I really value the small classes, the individual relationships with professors and the [emphasis placed on] self-improvement. My sister goes to a public college (which shall not be named) and the education just seems so much less personal.
As the president of RHA, what are some of the daily duties you have? I oversee the whole board and am the main person who gets things approved by our advisor. I also spearhead a lot of our projects from a creative side.
What can fellow Rams look forward to from RHA this semester? We just wrapped up a really successful Series of Fortunate Events (which was an expansion from what had been Benefit Week) and are looking forward to two more Quizzo nights (March 8 and April 5), a Dodgeball tournament (March 30), a Girl Scout Cookie Sale (April 6-8) (yes, I’m serious), some environmental programming and obviously, the Under the Tent Dance on April 30. Tickets go on sale on April 26 and we expect them to sell out that day.
How do you suggest that a student juggle school, internships and extracurriculars with their social life? Drink a lot of caffeine! But seriously, I make a lot of lists, compartmentalizing my tasks makes them much more manageable.
What’s on your NYC Bucket List? Everyone should go see a Broadway show, and not one of the really commercial ones, see something classic, see a play, go to Shakespeare in the Park. Everyone should also try food they think they’d hate, they might end up hating it, but it could be spectacular. Either way, the story is always worth it. Everyone should also go to a movie premiere, it’s not that difficult if you know where to look. (I saw The Reader and was about two feet from Kate Winslet.) There are a few “of age” establishments I’d include too, but I won’t get into that, this is a family website.
What’s your dream job? I’d love to be an Oscar campaigner or a Broadway producer.
What’s your favorite class that you’ve had at Fordham? I have to include a few because I simply can’t choose. In my Liberal Arts Core: Byzantine Christianity with Reg Kim. [For my] business core: Business Law with Liz Pinho-Cosenza. (Everyone who can should take these two if possible.) As electives, Mark Shanahan’s Films of Alfred Hitchcock and Alison Fraser’s Song as Theater were bright spots in their respective semesters.
What’s your least favorite class that you’ve had at Fordham? I hate to call out a particular class in a public forum (I only reveal my true feelings in anonymity on RateMyProfessors.com), but I had pretty dreadful experiences in Principles of Marketing and in Business Ethics. I often say that I learned everything I know about marketing from Don Draper. I hope I didn’t learn my ethics from him too.
Who’s your favorite professor? The four mentioned above are all highlights, but for novelty’s sake, I’ll give it to Professor Robert Hume, who nearly convinced me to be a Supreme Court lawyer.
PICK ONE:
Bronx Zoo or Botanical Gardens? I get terrible hay fever, so Zoo.
Arthur Ave or Fordham Road? I’ll give it to Fordham Road, it’s got more personality.
Cafeteria food or Deli food? I recently discovered the Chocolate Chip Muffins in the Deli and they’re divine.
Conway or Dr. Jay’s? I purchased much of my costume for the infamous Black Swan party at Conway.
RamVan or Subway? Subway, every day of the week. I get car sick.
Pugsley’s or University Pizza? University, but the actual best is Bellini’s.
Met or MoMA? I wish I went to museums more often, but I’ve liked both.
Hot Dog or Bagel? Bagel. And I pronounce it the Philly way: “begg-el”
Broadway or Off-Broadway? Both have great shows and terrible shows, but I admit I favor the big ones.
Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge? Central Park for the brilliant Shakespeare in the Park shows every summer.