On a cold Sunday morning, I set out with my roommate and this week’s Her Campus Celeb for brunch in the Village. All too excited that the lines were nonexistent, we enjoyed omelets and, as per usual with our Celeb, ridiculous conversation ensued. With a few digressions (this Celeb always has a great story to tell), a YouTube break, and a Twitter break, I give you the best of my interview with Her Campus Celeb Michael Offerman.
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota … we’re going with Minneapolis, because no one has heard of Plymouth, and my heart is in Minneapolis.
Grade: 5th year! Victory lap! (He semi-jokingly raises his hands in the air. We all know he just can’t bear to part with Wash U just yet.)
Studying: Dual degree program with a BA in architecture and an MBA in business school.
What are you involved in on campus? I’m an RA on Lien 2 and in Beta Theta Pi, Architecture School Council, and Net Impact – it’s a business school organization focusing on careers in non-traditional business areas like sustainable and design-based careers. And a tour guide.
What’s it like being a tour guide? One of my favorite questions I got as a tour guide was “is there a lot of hand holding on campus?” So obviously I thought that meant like advising, and I said that your advisor is there as much as you need them! And she clarified that she meant actual handholding while walking from class to class and I didn’t know what to say. Way more handholding than Emory?
(side note: On what was supposed to be Michael’s last tour, his friends decided to surprise him along the way. Here is what became known as #occupymichaelofferman)
So you’ve been here for a while. What’s the best thing you did during your Wash U experience? Being in Beta has been the most rewarding and entertaining thing in college. But I’ve also been on a lot of rooftops on campus, which is really entertaining.
How did such rooftop visits come about? Mostly other brothers in Beta who were like, “let’s go on a roof!” But I’ve also explored. It’s incredible how easy it is to get onto a roof.
And what has been your favorite of your many escapades around Saint Louis? (His eyes light up and we know he has some good stories for us.) My favorite place in Saint Louis is the City Museum, but my favorite escapade was the Meramec Caverns. They are hilarious and the best tourist attraction on this side of the Mississippi. I went with a friend on a Sunday morning, and there were 3 couples with us who were all AARP members. The tour featured a patriotic light show, cardboard cut-out of Lassie, a pendulum room where they explained the pendulum doesn’t work, and a wax museum. It’s got it all.
What’s it like being an RA? It’s entertaining, certainly. No one’s vomited in the common room so I consider it a great success so far. I love our floor … I really do love it. My favorite thing is that sometimes freshmen think they’re being sneaky, but they’re not.
Who are your favorite residents? Do we even need to ask…? I can’t answer that. Like a mother I love everyone equally, just differently. (His eyes say otherwise—my roommate and I are the clear winners here).
Us residents have taken to calling you “mom” (Mofferman→Momforman→Mom). How do you feel about the nickname? I appreciate the sentiment and I am still confident people are aware of my gender.
You’re stranded on an island and you can only bring 5 things. Go. (He gets excited—it seems like he knows what to say already.) A plastic tarp to collect rainwater and to boil saltwater and I will use the distillation to make it drinkable. What kind of island is it? That’s important. Tropical I guess. Like Castaway. Flint so you can build fire. Quinoa because it’s the only grain with every amino acid you need to live. So a big bag of that because I can also boil it with my tarp. A knife … for multiple purposes. A fed-ex package with an angel on it to give me hope—I’m serious, make sure you put that in there.
You’re an avid tweeter. What’s the best thing you’ve seen on twitter this week? Nancy Grace’s hashtags. #toofattokill #babyinashoebox (he takes out his phone to check more Nancy Grace hashtags) Oh Nancy Grace is in legoland right now! #murderforpizza #vodkamom #minigolfdeath #crocpotwifekiller #hotcupofpoison. (He erupts into laughter after almost each of these.)
Last, but certainly not least, what is your inspirational quote of choice? I will accept more than one. I know it’s a tough decision. “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Because I don’t sleep enough and I will probably die from exhaustion. “Even a blind pig finds an acorn every once in a while.” “The glass is neither half full nor half empty it’s just twice as large as it needs to be.”
There you have it! Just a little bit about the fascinating RA, dual degree student, daily comedian, and adventurer Michael Offerman. In all seriousness, Michael is a “true American gem” (as he likes to call others) and everyone who knows him can attest to his great enthusiasm, friendless, and dedication to all the cool things he has done with his Wash U education.