Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL
Major: Social work with minors in French and Math.
Year: Junior
Birthday: May 5th
HC (Her Campus): What’s your FSU involvement?
BE (Brendan East): I was an orientation leader and then an orientation team leader, which just basically means you do it twice. The second time around you have a little bit of a different role because you supervise part of the team, so that was a really cool experience. I was an RA last year and now I am a second year RA. I am also in the community service fraternity on campus, Alpha Phi Omega. In addition to all of these things I am also in the honors college.
HC: How has being an RA been?
BE: It’s been really transformative, but I would say that being an orientation leader was a little bit more impactful because it was the first thing I identified with when I came here. I made a family with the orientation team. There are forty of us, and we are all really diverse, but we work well together so it was awesome to really all come together. It was an amazing experience.
HC: Coming to FSU did you know you wanted to be apart of all of this? How did that all happen?
BE: Not at all, I wasn’t really all that involved in high school, I played tennis and I was the captain of our varsity tennis team, but that was it. When I first got here I actually had a really rough first year and when I checked into Smith Hall there was an RA, who was really bubbly, and encouraged me to sign up for hall government and that’s how I got my foot in the door. When I got involved with hall government it helped me get involved with orientation leaders and then later being an RA. I am really fortunate to have been given all these opportunities and then studying abroad too! That was the one thing I knew I wanted to do when I came here.
HC: Where did you go for study abroad?
BE: We went to Paris, France, for 4 and ½ weeks, and there we took classes 5 days a week, it was an intensive French program, and it was pretty cool because we had social excursions and we would go out and sight see and have 5 course meals.
HC: What was your favorite part about studying abroad?
BE: All the new friends that I made as well as the opera house that we went to, Garnier Opera House, it is really opulent and magnificent. I became really close to the group of people that I went with and I didn’t know any of them beforehand. It was also really nice to eat at bakeries everyday because I love good food.
HC: Are you really into music otherwise too?
BE: Yea I love music!
HC: What’s your favorite genre of music?
BE: Alternative.
HC: What did you do this summer besides Study Abroad?
BE: I worked orientation the first half of summer and then I had to come back early for RA training, so it was pretty jam-packed.
HC: What is your ideal five-year plan?
BE: I’ll graduate with a BSW, which is a Bachelor in Social Work. Then I want to go either two different ways, one way would be to get my masters in Social Work and then go the social work path or I want to get my master in higher education or student affairs. In five years if I did that I would be working in an orientation program in a university or even in a housing department.
HC: How did you decide on Social Work?
BE: Actually there is an orientation leader, from my first year of being an orientation leader, and he was a social work major. After I talked to him a little bit about it, Social Work just seemed really cool. I researched it on my own and I thought maybe it would be cool to do some counseling with it. Then when I went in a talked to the director of the program, she told me a little bit more about it and I applied! I had been exploratory for the first two years here.
HC: What’s something that has always been on your bucket list that you want to accomplish in life?
BE: That’s a good question. Tennis is my favorite sport, and my mom and I used to talk about going to the Grand Slams, so I guess that would be on my bucket list- visiting all the major locations of the Grand Slams. There are four Grand Slams, one is in England, one is in France, one is in Australia, and then one is in New York, so I think it would be really cool to go to all of them!
HC: Do you still play tennis, at FSU, for any of the intermurals?
BE: I did my first year, but I haven’t anymore. I joined the club team when I first got here, but I didn’t stick with it past the first semester, so I wouldn’t say I am involved with that anymore. I do, however, want to get back into it. But when I was in Paris I actually dislocated my knee, so I can’t play anymore for the time being, but I want to get back into it.
HC: How’d you dislocate your knee?
BE: On [The Parisian 4th of July] they open all the firehouses and have a huge dance party. I was dancing with one of my friends and she hit my knee out of place. It’s actually kind of an embarrassing story.
HC: If you could plan an ideal date what would it be?
BE: I really like the beach, so part of it would be going to the beach. A picnic on the beach or going to a movie at night sounds great to me.
HC: Comedy or?
BE: Yea definitely a comedy.
HC: What’s your favorite movie?
BE: Anchorman is my favorite comedy.
HC: Before I forget, I know our readers will want to know, but what is your relationship status?
BE: I’m currently getting to know someone.
HC: How did you guys meet?
BE: Through a mutual friend.
HC: How was the first date you guys went on?
BE: We cooked together.
HC: On a first date what’s your usual go to food? Asian, Italian, Mexican?
BE: Chipotle!
HC: Do you have a go to date spot in Tallahassee?
BE: It’s the new park downtown called Cascade Park; they have a light show and other things to do.
HC: What do you look for in a significant other?
BE: Someone that has to make me laugh and is nice, caring, and an overall genuine person.
HC: Age-old question: blonde, brunette, or red head?
BE: I don’t really have a preference.