Major: Information Technology
Hometown: Coral Springs, FL
Her Campus (HC): I heard you’re involved with the seniors of Tallahassee, what do you do? What organization is it?
CJ Cipriano (CC): I work for a nonprofit organization called Elder Care Services of Tallahassee. Currently, I maintain their website, and help out at charity events and general IT maintenance around the office.
HC: How do you like it? Any funny stories you can tell us?
CC: I love it there. All of my coworkers are great and some of my best friends up here. Funny stories? Nothing that comes to mind. I do get a kick out of seeing some of the seniors try to remember the correct two letters of my name, however.
HC: What’s your favorite memory at FSU so far?
CC: Definitely watching some kid try to light a couch on fire in the street after the BCS win.
HC: Where are you currently working?
CC: Aside from Elder Care Services, I work as a Visual Designer for a business intelligence agency in Washington D.C, an intern for a company called DIY in San Francisco, a system administrator for Blue Cross Blue Shield during summers back home, as well as some freelance design work on the side.
HC: How do you feel about the new FSU logo? Do you think all of the controversy is warranted? Would you change it?
CC: Ha, that is definitely a touchy subject. Personally, I did agree with the fact that it could have used a few updates. That being said, there wasn’t as much student/alumni/faculty input as they led us to believe; the controversy is warranted in those regards. As for changing it, there was a woman named Jodi Slade who had a very subtle, yet functional design that I definitely did admire.
HC: What are you looking forward to in your upcoming years at FSU?
CC: I really am looking forward to how our city and campus are going to look by the time that I graduate. Just in these first two years, the amount of renovation and total overhaul of our surroundings has made Tallahassee and FSU exponentially more welcoming and enjoyable.
HC: Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen?
CC: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. No one is here to judge you; this is your time to figure out who you are, and who you aspire to be. Try to find your groove early, and I can’t stress this enough, do not be afraid to try new things. Keeping an open mind these next 4 years will do wonders and make your time here that much more enjoyable.
HC: Where would you like to be 10 years from now?
CC: 10 years in our era is an eternity. Ideally I suppose I would be creating a start-up somewhere in the Valley (Silicon Valley for the readers), chasing a dream, living life, and of course traveling the globe.
HC: What’s been your favorite class at FSU so far?
CC: LIS3267, Information Sciences was a lot of fun. Getting to learn more about what I love, doing more hands on projects and working in teams; definitely one of the most enjoyable classes I’ve had.
HC: What made you go into design?
CC: My life-long best friend Jordan really taught me everything I know and gave me everything that I aspire to be. Growing up and seeing the Internet take shape right in front of my eyes, it was an unbelievable experience that I desperately wanted to be a part of and change.
HC: What is the next step you would like to see technology take?
CC: Honestly, pretty much everything that Google is doing, along with 3D printing. The day that a 3D printer is on sale for $20.00 at Office Max is the day that our world is making leaps and bounds in the tech industry.
HC: If you were stuck on an island which two characters from Friends would you want to be stuck with?
CC: Considering it would get pretty boring on the island, probably Joey to keep myself entertained. For the other, probably Rachel because, who doesn’t love Jennifer Aniston.