He’s got brains, personality, and Snooki-approved abs…meet this week’s career-driven Campus Cutie, Jason Green!
Name: Jason Green
Hometown: White Plains, New York
Major: Biology/Pre-Med
Relationship Status: Single
Nickname: “Sarge”
HC (Her Campus): So, what are some activities on campus you are involved with?
JG (Jason Green): I’m a volunteer with Campus Kitchen and I’m on the football team. I also do research at the Wake Forest University Institute of Regenerative Medicine downtown. I really don’t have much time to get involved in as much stuff on campus as I would like to because I’m also pre-med, so I’m constantly doing work.
HC: You said you play football, when did you start playing?
JG: I think I always played football as a kid. I started playing organized football in the fifth grade and always enjoyed it. Football is just a fun sport – I like the physicality. Football is also a great team sport, so you build this family environment. That’s always great to have in college.
HC: Do you have any game day rituals?
JG: Actually, my game day rituals are not to have any rituals. I try not to have any superstitions. I actually think that superstitions can take control of you at some point. Like if I don’t put this sock on right, I’ll have a bad game; it stresses you out I think. So, no rituals for me.
HC: Being a biology major and a pre-med student, how do you balance that with the demands of being a student athlete?
JG: It’s definitely not easy, but I think having to deal with the demands of football almost helps me be more organized and helps me manage my time properly. I mean, it’s all about being efficient, working hard – but working smart, – and knowing what to do and when to do it. It’s been difficult, but I’ve been able to do it pretty well to this point.
HC: So, being pre-med, what are your career plans?
JG: I want to be a physician of some sort, but it’s still up in the air on what kind of physician. I was lucky in having the opportunity to shadow a vascular surgeon at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center last year, which was a cool experience. This will be a very difficult thing to do, but I’ve been thinking about maybe getting a MD/PHD. That’s like the ideal career track for me; but I’ll see what happens. I still have a lot of time.
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HC: So, what would someone say if they were asked to describe you?
JG: I have to think about that. I mean, I don’t really like to boast about myself. I guess they would say I’m very thoughtful. My sister would definitely describe me as I a “deep thinker,” I’m always thinking about things. I don’t know, maybe “well-balanced” too. I would also say disciplined. I have my values and I stick to them pretty strongly. I would also say “kind,” I like to volunteer and help people and I’m just generally nice to people – so, hopefully someone would say those things.
HC: What has been you best memory at Wake so far?
JG: Just being able to play football and being a part of a hard working team. I also get to travel to different areas of the country. Joking around with the boys the nights before the games, just little small memories like that, have definitely been great.
HC: So, you and the guys on the team like to joke around a lot. What has been one of the funniest moments with the team?
JG: There was this prank actually…we always have this thing before a game – I don’t even know what you would call them – I guess they’re like Friday night talks in someone’s hotel room. We all just get together, chill, talk, eat, and watch sports games. So one time, our coach actually snuck in the room with his hood over his head and stood to the side, so no one really noticed him. So this one guy came over, who is always a prankster, and is just always talking smack. So we start messing with him saying random stuff like, “Yo, man, did you have any girls over?” And he’s like, “Yeah, yeah, man, I did.” He was just bragging and talking himself up because we obviously aren’t allowed to have girls over at the hotel. So as he’s talking himself up, and the coach stands up and takes off his hood. Then the guy just got silent and had this scared look on his face. That was like one of the funniest times, and a good memory.
HC: What is one thing you can’t live without?
JG: I can’t live without my family. That’s my support system and my backbone. They are always there for you and you can always trust them to have your best intentions. So family is extremely important to me.
HC: Who has been a person that has been really inspirational in your life?
JG: Easily my mother. She has always been there; she is just an exemplary woman. She is a simple person who raised my three siblings and me. She’s driven, independent, and will do anything for her children…I mean anything at all. I respect her, and definitely look up to her.
HC: What is one thing about you that surprises people?
JG: I don’t think I’m a good dancer, but people are always surprised when I get up and dance at parties. The guys on the football team call me “Sarge” (short for Sergeant); I guess it’s because I’m really stoic or serious all of the time. I walk with my back very straight – like the military look, I guess. People don’t expect me to dance. So, when I’m at a party and just let loose and just dance around and have a good time, I guess that surprises people.
HC: What’s something that you’ve done that people will be shocked to know?
JG: I took clown classes when I was really young. I really didn’t learn much; I learned to juggle a little bit.
HC: Do you still know how to juggle?
JG: I can juggle three objects at once, that’s my max!
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HC: What is your most embarrassing moment at Wake?
JG: I have a really embarrassing moment, but I don’t think I’m going to disclose it (laughs)! But last year, when Snooki came to school, she asked for volunteers to come on stage for an “abs contest”. My friends were like, “You should go up there,” so, I went up on stage. Turns out, it was a dance contest…so, I ended up, in a sense, giving Snooki a lap dance! It was just one of those very interesting moments, I guess.
HC: Who is a celebrity people say you look like?
JG: Someone told me I look like Morris Chestnut – I think that’s his name.
HC: (Laughs) Yeah, it is. I just watched a movie with him in it this weekend, The Best Man, and he played a football player!
JG: (Laughs) Yeah, he played a football player in Boys N’ the Hood too, so I guess that’s just his role. Maybe that’s why it’s a connection between us. I don’t really see the resemblance though.
HC: Who is your celebrity crush?
JG: She’s not very famous, but her name is Alexandra Daddario. I saw a movie with her in it and liked it. She’s been in a couple of movies. Also, Jessica Biel.
HC: So on a first date out with a girl, what do you do to impress her?
JG: I would definitely pick her up for a date and bring flowers. I feel like those are defaults that you have to do. To impress her I don’t know what I would do. I like the idea of just being able to be myself and have like a simple good time. I believe if you can do that, it is definitely a good foundation to have a good time with any girl. If you try to go out of your way to impress a girl, you might lose yourself. So I believe in being myself and hope that she likes me.
HC: What turns you off from a girl?
JG: If a girl is really full of herself and cocky in any way, that’s really a turn-off.
HC: What about a girl turns you on?
JG: If a girl is very humble, down to earth, and low-maintenance; not in the sense that she doesn’t want anything, but she appreciates little things. Maybe it’s just staying in and watching a movie, or playing a board game. If she can appreciate that, it makes the bigger things that much better – like if we were to go out to a nice dinner or an amusement park or something like that. I like a girl with a very good sense of humor that laughs easily. I definitely want my jokes to work.
HC: So next year you will be a senior. What is one piece of advice you would give to incoming freshman or younger students at Wake?
JG: I would say use your time wisely, and take advantage of your resources here. Figure out what you want to do as soon as possible; it makes everything so much easier. I found out I wanted to do pre-med sophomore year. It definitely wasn’t too late, but it definitely made things more difficult than I would have liked them to be. So, definitely meet up with career services and sort out a good career plan early.
*Photography by Karleigh Ash