With about 6,500 students attending SUNY New Paltz, selecting Her Campus’ next Campus Celebrity was certainly a challenging task. After a tedious process of searching, I discovered that Ryan Percy would be the perfect fit. Ryan has a strong presence at this school, he is involved in a broad range of activities and known to be a down-to-earth yet a determined student. It seems clear that Ryan embodies all the qualities of a campus celebrity. His passion for media has been the driving force for some of the impressive positions he currently holds. This includes president of Media and Journalism Society, Assistant Director of Videography for NPC-TV and the media representative for the Council of Organizations at SUNY New Paltz. I had the opportunity to interview Ryan to see what he has to say.
Name: Ryan Percy Hometown: Niskayuna, New York (Outside of Schenectady) Class Status: Junior Major/Minor: Digital Media Management and Programming/ Business Relationship Status: In a relationship
You are known to be exceptionally involved person on campus, what are some of the activities that you are currently involved with?“This semester I am the Co-President of the Media and Journalism Society, Assistant Director of Videography for NPC-TV, Assistant Director of Programming for SUNY New Paltz radio station WFNP, along with being a radio DJ for my program ‘Ryan and Ryan- In The Morning and Night.’ In addition, I am a CERT team (Community Emergency Response Team) member, a member of Bevier Hall Government, I’m on the croquet team, the media representative for the council of organizations, and I currently have a marketing internship for the Historical Huguenot Society.”
Why did you pick your major?“I picked my major because in junior year of high school I fell in love with media. I joined the AV (audio visual) club and that’s where I started to realize that this is what I wanted to do with my life. At the same time, I was worried about being out there with creative part of the industry, because it is very risky in my eyes. I wanted a solid background, which is management, that can allow me to have a more stable job in the future.”
What is your dream job?“My dream job would be making adult cartoons for Adult Swim. Another idea I always had was to be in charge of media marketing for the military.”
Can you tell us your favorite thing about New Paltz? “My favorite thing about New Paltz is definitely the community feel, everything feels connected. It’s your classic hometown–that’s something I always admired, and there’s not enough of it anymore.”
Give us a fun fact about yourself: “I am left handed.”
Who’s your role model? “That’s so hard! I would say Stephen Colbert, General George S. Patton and Bill Murray.”
What advice do you give to freshmen at SUNY New Paltz? “Just be there. There are so many opportunities, if you simply go out of your way to show up to places.”
What is your favorite movie?“My favorite movie is The Iron Giant.”
Is there something people would be surprised to learn about you? “Something people would be surprised to learn about me is that my favorite song is the theme from Dirty Dancing, ‘I had the time of my life.’”