Meet Steve Shimchick. Get to know one of the busiest guys at Rutgers. When he’s not managing a group over 20+ students at RU-info (the go-to place for all things Rutgers) he’s taking care of wide-eyed freshmen that are about to settle into their new homes. Ask him anything about Rutgers—he’s your man with the answers. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s got a killer smile while doing it.
Year: Junior
Major: Communication
Age: 20
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Hobbies: Listening to music, playing piano, trying really hard to catch up on Breaking Bad before I see a spoiler about how it ends, and procrastinating.
Secret Talents: I’ve been told I can snap my fingers pretty loud…I guess that’s something.
Q: Steve! What’s the secret to balancing multiple leadership roles?
A: Being able to realize that skills you use for one role can carry into the other role is key. It may turn out that the roles are actually very similar and that makes it easier to manage them when you start thinking of them as one unit instead of two separate ones. Plus, from my experience, handling a situation as an RA has definitely improved the way I handle situations outside of the RA job, so it’s helpful to let other leadership roles blend together. It’s made me more confident when dealing with conflicts.
Q: If you could take on another role with just as much responsibility what would it be?
A: It’s tough to think of a role with an equal amount of responsibility, but I’ll give a shout-out and say that I’ve always had such respect for the custodial staff in every residence hall. They each do so much work and it can largely go unnoticed. So I think it would be good to be able to experience the role they have from their shoes.
Q: What about your personal life? What work elements do you fuse in your day-to-day routine?
A: Well, thanks to RU-info, I’ve got a lot of information about Rutgers in my head that I’m ready to utilize when my friends text me with a question because they know I work there. It’s the thrill of answering a Rutgers related question, but now with the added frustration of it interrupting a new episode of The Walking Dead or Suits.
Q: Just a junior, how do you go about climbing this—how do you put it—‘leadership ladder’?
A: With every year in school, there are new chances for advancement and new connections to make within the roles that I have. I am thankful that I was able to start these roles early in my college career, so the connections and experience I’ve gained contribute to me being interested in other types of leadership positions. Personally, having a leadership role makes it much less intimidating to try to enter another organization or club and have a leadership role there as well.
Q: You seem like a friendly guy to work for. How do you keep such a positive attitude?
A: I think it helps that one of my favorite TV shows is The Office. Any funny show, comedian, or just an upbeat song really helps me stay positive. Plus, the background on my phone is a picture of a “quokka”, which is an Australian animal that is known as the happiest animal in the world. Look it up on Google sometime, you won’t regret it.
Q: Let’s get to the more interesting stuff. What about the ladies? Has it been difficult carrying on such an intense workload and dating?
A: Not really, luckily I have at least a little bit of time management so neither my workload or dating get in the way of the other. Plus, I had opening shifts at work last year, which would never interfere with classy plans to go to the dining hall for dinner.
Q: Has work put a damper on your dating life?
A: I don’t think so. All of my leadership positions have allowed me to meet people I probably never would have met otherwise, so that’s a great thing. Plus, if any girl ever needed to know the number for a Rutgers department on the go, like Student Accounting or the Registrar, I’d have it in no time.
Q: How do you plan on tackling your penultimate year of school?
A: By using what I’ve learned from two years here to really remind me of the mistakes to avoid. (This is the year I won’t procrastinate on homework or studying, I promise.) I also want to increase the connections I have, especially since I’m moving into the more professional life so quickly.
Q: What’s the first thing Steve thinks about in the morning?
A: “How did I manage to sleep through those three alarms again?”
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LIGHTNING ROUND
FAVORITE MOVIE – Elf
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – Philadelphia Phillies
FAVORITE HOLIDAY – Christmas
FAVORITE PERSON TO SCOLD AT WORK – I don’t have a favorite, but if Toby Flenderson worked with me, it’d be him, hands down.
ULTIMATE DATING DEALBREAKER – When I ask a girl out and they say “No.”…It doesn’t really go anywhere after that.
AND FINALLY DO BLONDES REALLY HAVE MORE FUN? – My hair was a lot blonder as a kid, and I remember childhood definitely being more carefree than college, so I’ll say yes. (I know that wasn’t the type of response you were looking for.)