Name: Daniel Smith
Graduation Year: 2018
Major: Broadcast Journalism with minors in advertising and writing
Hometown: Scranton
Relationship Status: Single
Her Campus (HC): What’s your favorite part about Marywood?
Daniel Smith (DS): It’s gotta be the Kane Overlook. I mean, look at that thing; it’s just so majestic!
HC: What would you change about Marywood?
DS: I feel very strongly that Mary and Wood should be two words. Mary Wood University. Then we could be M triple U.
HC: Why did you choose your major?
DS: Originally I was majoring in mechanical engineering in Boston but I was sitting in an 8 a.m. calculus class one day and I was like, “Wow, I do not want to do this at all.” So I thought that advertising would be more fun. But then I missed writing so, I switched to journalism.
HC: What’s the best part about your major?
DS: He’s much less strict than the Colonel. Sorry that joke wasn’t that funny. I’d say writing is the best part. Or maybe getting access to the Comm Meeting room. That’s a great place to watch basketball.
HC: What’s your dream job?
DS: College football analyst, screenwriter, movie critic, or bicycle shop owner. Three of those four would be really fun.
HC: What are you involved with on campus? What are your roles?
DS: I sell ads for The Wood Word, well I try to at least. I’m a performance member of Improv Beyond, so that means once a semester I get on stage and say nonsense in front of two hundred people. Speaking of which, come see our show on April 22! If this gets published afterward, thank you for coming to see our show on April 22! It’s less awkward for both of us if we just pretend you were there. What else do I do.. Oh! I’m TVM’s Kernel Critic, so I write top 5 movie countdowns about silly topics. Shout out to the beautiful Alex Weidner for filming and editing those.
HC: You’re known as a funny guy on campus – are you inspired by any comedians?
DS: Thank you, that’s so nice! It’s weird to me that people think I’m funny though. I was pretty serious as a child and I never made anybody laugh. I didn’t really have an inspiration to be funny though. When I was 14, there was this pretty girl that I liked. I wasn’t the cutest of 14 year old children, so I needed a different plan to woo this girl. I don’t know why but decided I was going to be funny. Then when I was 15 there was another pretty girl that I liked. She was actually the first person to tell me that I was funny. Things never worked out with that girl, but I found out that I could make people laugh and that felt really nice.
HC: What are you currently watching on Netflix?
DS: I binge-watch movies like TV shows. It’s actually kind of bad, I’ve had days where I’ve watched more than five movies. I’m already at 55 for the year. If you ever need movie suggestions, I got you.
HC: What are some of your favorite movies?
DS: I love In Bruges – that movie’s great. I like all of the Avengers movies, too. I think I’ve seen each one at least thrice. I think Saving Private Ryan might be my favorite though. Matt Damon is in that and he’s great in everything; I don’t think I’ve ever not liked a movie he was in. Well, except maybe We Bought a Zoo. I don’t know why but something about that movie just bothers me.
HC: What do you like to do in your spare time?
DS: I watch a lot of movies. And sports. I watch the sports, I don’t play them. However, I made a three pointer in basketball one time.
HC: If you could be any character portrayed by Nicholas Cage, who would you be?
DS: I’d go with Ben Gates from National Treasure. At first, I thought I’d go with Chris Johnson from Next because I would love to see into the future, but Ben gets to find treasure, knows the president and marries Diane Kruger’s character. You really can’t beat that.
HC: Picture yourself 5 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
DS: I’d like to live in Chicago. I don’t know what I’d be doing there, I just really want to go there. I’ll work in my bicycle shop there if I have to. I went there for like an hour one time and I really liked it. They have a nice flag.
HC: Tell me something not many people know about you?
DS: We’ll do this two truths and a lie style, but with four truths and two lies. I’m terrified of skeletons. One time I came in second place in a Taylor Swift Trivia contest. I used to be the singer in a band. I went as Bono for Halloween one time. I collect college pennants. One time I stole a kumquat.
HC: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
DS: Belgium! It’s like The Netherlands without the hipsters. I also hear that they have great waffles and brussel sprouts.
HC: Do you have pets? If your pets could describe you in three words, what would they say?
DS: I have a cat and a fish. My fish is named Fluffy and he’d describe me as The Fish Feeder. And my cat wouldn’t say anything about me because she’s mute. She’s also deaf and blind. She has to get around completely on scent, which is extra sad because her nose is always clogged. Her name is Sophie.
HC: What’s your favorite food?
DS: Clementines. I feel like I have to say that though. That actually kind of started as a joke. I bought a bag of them one day and I ate like six of them and I thought it would be really funny if I went to class the next day and just offered them to people. I love the fruit, but I never thought that it would become a thing.
HC: Which Disney Princess would you be?
DS: Dumbo. He’s such a heartwarming elephant.
HC: Guilty pleasure?
DS: I love college fight songs. I have a playlist on my phone of about fifty of them. I know all the words to about ten of them. Notre Dame’s my favorite because they’re my favorite school, but I also life Clemson’s. Yeah, I know I just pronounced it “Clempson” – that’s just the way they say it. It’s a great song though, it’s like, “Da doo, where’s that tiger? Da doo where’s that tiger? Da doo where’s that tiger? Da doo where’s that tiger? Da doo hold that tiger.” Nothing gets me more pumped.
HC: Pet Peeve?
DS: Chewing sounds. I absolutely hate the noises people they make when they eat. Chewing, slirping, gargling, choking – it doesn’t matter. it drives me insane. I also hate when people don’t pronounce the “r” in February. Like why is that okay? What if we stopped pronouncing the “r” in crow? Then they’d be cows!
HC: Favorite restaurant?
DS: La Trattoria. I love me some pasta. They have this great gorgonzola cream sauce that they put on fusilli with walnuts. It smells horrendous from the gorgonzola, but it tastes quite nice.
HC: Who is your role model?
DS: Pillsbury Doughboy. He makes great rolls. Oh! The other kind of role, I’m sorry. I’m not sure. Keenan Reynolds. He played quarterback for Navy. I didn’t pick him because he plays football or because he’s in the Navy, I just think he’s a really good person.
HC: Who’s your celebrity crush?
DS: I have a few. I love Elika Sadeghi. She’s a college football analyst and my favorite person that I follow on Twitter. I like Keira Knightly and Melanie Laurent, too. Oh, and Puddles the Duck.
To learn more about Daniel, follow him on Twitter and Instagram!
Twitter: @danielsmith1205
Instagram: @danielsmith1205