Rob Sawyer (’15)

Name: Rob Sawyer

Hometown: Natick, Mass.

Year: Senior

Major(s): Double Major in Computer Science and Mathematical Statistics

Involvement: Sigma Pi, Old Gold & Black, The Howler, Math Center

Relationship Status: Single

After yet another crazy rush week, find out what this week’s Campus Cutie has to say about Greek life and campus involvement.  He is super down-to-earth and well-rounded, with a passion for sports – meet Rob Sawyer!

HC (Her Campus): It’s your last semester at Wake!  What’s one thing you definitely want to do before you graduate?

RS (Rob Sawyer): I want to go to Carolina Cup.  I haven’t been to Carolina Cup yet.

HC: So tell me more about yourself.  What would you say are your best qualities?

RS: I think I’m pretty well-rounded.  I’m a computer science/math major, but I can talk about a lot of other things with people.  I like to read up on the news and politics and stuff like that.  Plus, I have an interest in economics.  I also follow sports, and I play sports.

HC: What sports do you play?

RS: In high school I did cross country, basketball, and tennis.  I still try to run, and intramural basketball is my favorite intramural.  I also still hit around for tennis sometimes.

HC:  Do you have any favorite sports teams?

RS:  I’m from Boston, so all the Boston teams – the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins.  The Celtics are by far my favorite.  I have a big Celtics flag hanging in my window.

HC: Tell me more about your involvement on campus.

RS: Sigma Pi is probably one of my biggest involvements.  Probably one of my biggest regrets in college is that I didn’t do a lot of other stuff on campus because I got really focused on just the fraternity aspect.  I was the fraternity treasurer and later on the president – plus other positions, including the rush chair.

HC: What attracted you to Greek life?

RS: Freshman year we had a good friend on our hall who started dating a Sigma Pi.  So we hung out with him because he was always around, and whenever we went to [Sigma Pi] parties, we’d always feel welcome.  Two people I live with now also lived on my freshman hall; we all got really close the first semester, and we all wanted to rush the same place.

HC: You also said you used to write for the Old Gold & Black and The Howler.  What got you into that?

RS: When I was a freshman, I really wanted to have a sports-writing type job and work for ESPN.  I was the Sports Editor for The Howler and I wrote for the sports section of the Old Gold & Black.  The reason I stopped doing it was because it was a big hassle doing the interviews and stuff.  It was good experience if I was actually going to do journalism, but then I was like, “Maybe this isn’t really for me.”

HC: Journalism is definitely a tough craft!  What’s your dream career?

RS: Data analytics for a sports team or sports in general would definitely be my dream job.  I’ve definitely been looking into stuff like that, and with my combination of majors, it’s definitely feasible for me to do.  I’ve also applied to graduate school because a lot of [the jobs I’m looking at] want higher degrees, like a master’s or a Ph.D.  That’s partly why I want to do grad school.

HC: Very cool.  What made you want to work in sports?

RS: When I was in the 7th grade, I really started getting into basketball.  I don’t really know why – I think I watched college basketball, and all the time J.J. Redick would be playing.  He kind of inspired me to play basketball.  I played basketball all the time in the 7th and 8th grade.

HC:  J.J. Redick?  Didn’t he play for Duke?

RS: Yeah, I was a big Duke fan.

HC: (Laughs) Interesting.  So with this onset of nice weather, what is your favorite outdoor activity?

RS: Probably playing sports.  Also, we went to the Dan River last semester, and that was a ton of fun.  It was relaxing on the water.  I don’t have a pool, but if I had a pool, I’d definitely be chilling at the pool a lot.

HC: Do you have a favorite place to travel?

RS: I’ve never really been out of North America, so I can’t really say anywhere too exotic.  This past summer I had an internship in New York City, and that was a ton of fun – just walking around New York City.  Everywhere you looked there was another famous landmark.  There are just so many cool things you can go see and do.

HC: So shifting gears a bit – what qualities do you find the most attractive in a girl?

RS: I definitely think being down to earth is probably the most attractive quality a girl can have – not getting super worked up over insignificant things, especially because that’s kind of how I am.  You want someone who fits your personality.

HC: What do you normally do to get a girl’s attention if you’re into her?

RS: I think I just keep it simple.  I ask her out on a date – if she wants to go out to lunch or dinner or something.

HC: That’s sweet! So do you have any red flags when it comes to seeing a girl?

RS: Someone who’s not nice to other people.  Sometimes that’s something you don’t see because people try to hide it.  Obviously they’re going to be nice to you if they are interested in you.  But if you notice someone is mean to other people, then they aren’t as good of a person as you think they are.  Even little things like being rude to a waiter at a restaurant or the staff here – that’s a red flag.

HC: Do you have any celebrity crushes?

RS:  I used to have a big thing for Taylor Swift, but now she’s almost too mainstream for me.  Also, Jennifer Aniston from Friends.  She was awesome on Friends.  I’ve seen every episode at least once.

HC: So if you were a type of pie, what type of pie would you be?

RS: Probably apple pie, just because I’m American. 

HC: Good choice!  So what’s the funniest or weirdest thing that’s happened to you at Wake?

RS: I think one of the funniest things I’ve personally seen is something that happened outside the pit.  There was someone outside the pit dressed up as Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.  He was standing at the top of the ramp with a big staff and was like, “You shall not pass,” and he was banging his staff.  It was so funny. 

HC: That sounds hilarious!  So if you could go back to freshman year and change one thing about your Wake experience, what would it be and why?

RS: I think I definitely would do two things differently: I’d definitely try to study abroad and I would definitely try to get involved in more on-campus things, like club tennis.  I tried out for club tennis but I didn’t go through with it.  As I said earlier, I feel like I became a little one-dimensional with the fraternity aspect.  I’d definitely try to branch out more.

HC: That’s good advice for the freshmen guys who just got their bids!  So what’s your favorite thing about spring semester?

RS: I like how it gets warmer as the days go on.  As it gets warmer, there’s more sun on our lounge patio than there is during the fall semester.  One of my favorite things is just hanging out there on the “fratio” when the sun is shining.  Also, it’s really funny when the tour groups come right by our lounge.

HC: And lastly, what’s your favorite memory with friends at Wake?

RS: I’d probably say initiation – when we got initiated into the fraternity.  I had a profile picture from that day – it was literally my profile picture for two years to commemorate that day.  That’s how happy I was.

*Photography by Raquel Broehm.