Name: John Patrick “Jack” Cassidy
Age: 23
Hometown: South Belfast, Ireland
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Country: Ireland
What do you think makes you unique?
Umm, my sense of humor maybe. I don’t take anything seriously, like whatsoever. I’ll be the person that when there is a disaster, I’ll be properly laughin’, really laughing, about something stupid.
Who is someone you look up to?
I think it’s difficult to answer that without sounding cringey. However, I suppose my parents, first off. Then I also think that you have to admire people that achieve things that have come from the same country as you. I mean, Conor McGregor’s not from Belfast; he’s from Dublin but I love his attitude and the biggest thing for me is when he was fighting in one of the early UFC fights and he tore his ACL. He’s in the middle of a fight, and if he loses [the fight] it could very well end his career. He looks into the camera while his coach is trying to give him water and he just goes “I feel great!” Like no you don’t, your knee is destroyed, but he got out there and he won the fight. He has a good presence and wasn’t going to let anything stop him.
What is your highest achievement?
A university degree, I suppose I’d have to say. It definitely wasn’t straightforward; there were a few repeats and a year out. But in the end, I locked myself in an old office which was empty with no Wi-Fi or anything. I would get there at 9 a.m. and I would sit there until 1 p.m. and take 45 minutes for lunch and go for a walk. Then come back at 2 p.m., sit there until 5 p.m., get picked up and driven home, get dinner and then get driven back down at 7 p.m. and stay there until 11 p.m. I did that for 13 weeks.
What is your most memorable moment?
One of my friend’s 21st birthday fell while we were all in Thailand. We rented out two boats and we were supposed to go to Maya Bay but couldn’t get there because of bad seas. The guys who rented us the boats ended up just taking us on a tour of their own. They took us to this deserted beach that somehow ended up in a 100m sprinting knock-out competition between the tour guides and ourselves. (I believe Bradzo took gold but I smoked the birthday boy with ease). We also played a football match on the beach with the guides as well. Great day out.
What is the best life lesson you have learned?
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up.
What is your biggest regret?
I don’t have a whole lot. I have heard a whole load of successful people say that they don’t have any regrets because they are all just lessons learned. And I think I probably subscribe to that. If you make a decision at a time where you have all the information and you have backed yourself, then you won’t have a whole lot of regrets. Maybe just not knowing the “don’t eat yellow snow” rule when I first got to Canada.
Why did you come out West?
I was originally going to do a ski season in Europe since I had planned after university to do a ski season. While I was in New York for three months in the summer, I met a bunch of other lads from Dublin and we got along really well and ended up living together. They told me they were actually going to go to Banff straight from New York. They then told me I should come along rather than go to Europe on my own and I agreed. My friend then joined us out here a while later, so shoutout to Compsteys.
Early bird or night owl?
Early bird
Ski or snowboard?
Ski
Burger or pizza?
Burger
Favorite word?
Jack (not self centered at all)
Favorite joke?
It was one of those dead baby jokes… I think you know where I’m going with this.
Last book you read?
A Diamond the Size of the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dogs or cats?
Dogs
Mini golf or real golf?
Real golf
Best pick up line?
Nice clothes. They would look better on my floor.
The interview ended with Jack ordering 2 more beers (a true Irishman if I say so myself). What I took from Jack was that as far away as he originally grew up, his story and struggles with school are pretty similar to any student. I think he is also a prime example of wanting success but also doing what makes you happy. I wish the best to him.