You may not know Ryan personally, but you’ve probably see him around campus or at KIC sponsored events. Ryan is from Shadyside, Ohio, a small town near West Virginia. He is currently studying Molecular/Cellular Biology. Ryan is the Vice President of Programming and Development for Kent Interhall Council, and a Peer Mentor of the College of Arts and Science. Her Campus sat down with Ryan to learn more about all of the amazing things he does.
Her Campus: What inspired you to pursue Molecular/Cellular Biology?
Ryan Pasquino: I really enjoyed my high school biology classes. I was good at it, and at the time I wanted to be a marine biologist. But, as I got older and I took more chemistry classes, I realized I was more interested in the chemical side of biology. Molecular/Cellular Biology is like a fusion of that. It’s similar to biochemistry, but with less math. Also, my family has a history with cancer, which really pushed me to do cancer research. That’s my current plan in life.
HC: What interested you about Kent State University?
RP: I love this place! When I first started looking at colleges the first place I looked at was Ohio University. I went there on a campus tour and something felt off. The people walking by were not as friendly as everyone here. My friend mentioned to me that I should visit Kent State. I was hesitant because I had made up my mind and already had been accepted to OU. I came here for a campus visit and it was amazing! My tour guide was super excited and would answer my questions. It was during the fall so there were students on campus and they would smile at me or wave and they looked like they were having a good time. I just love that sense of community. It was like a home to me even though I had even gone here yet. When I got home, I immediately applied to Kent and decided this is where I wanted to go.
HC: What activities do you do on/off campus?
RP: This is the hard one because I’m a boring person. This may be a generic answer, but I love hanging out with friends even if it is just studying. We’ve currently been binge watching all of the Harry Potter movies. I love watching RuPaul’s Drag Race alone in my room. I like playing video games with friends and exploring downtown Kent.
HC: What made you want to join Kent Interhall Council (KIC) and ultimately run for Vice President?
RP: In high school I was very uninvolved, and I didn’t have many friends. So, when I came to college I was determined to change that. When I first moved in there were flyers up to join Hall Council. I was like “oh cool.” I ran for student council in high school but, we really didn’t do anything. It sounded like a lot of fun, and I thought I’d try it out. I ran for President and KIC Representative. I lost President, but got KIC Representative which turned out to be great. It gave me that nice community feeling, and everyone there was super happy and glad to see you. It’s a lot of fun. I was an RA for a year and realized I really want to do KIC. I enjoyed it the previous year and I missed it being an RA. The old Vice President was stepping down, and I just knew I had to run for the position. I love Sex Week and I want to be able to put my all in it and plan it. I want to increase the amount of things that happen during the week.
HC: Do you have any big ideas for KIC’s future?
RP: I’d love to see more conversation, and we’ve been doing a really good job at noticing issues on campus. Things have been happening, and we’ve been taking positions on them like the scoring at the Rec Center. We’ve wrote legislation up on it and we have a meeting with the Rec to discuss it with them, and ask them to change their policies. I just want to see more of that. More engaging with students especially international students. I feel like that’s a place where progress needs to be made. We’d like to connected with them more.
HC: What made you want to direct Sex Week Committee?
RP: It is part of the VP position, and I think it is important to have a different perspective on things. I might think this idea is good, but someone else might think that it’s not inclusive or there is a better way it could be done. Sometimes, I have really bad tunnel vision and having other people there to support me and just help out is great. When we were shopping for the prizes for Sextoberfest, I didn’t really know what to get so I let them loose at the store. It’s just nice to have that perspective and help.
HC: What aspect of Sex Week is the most important to you?
RP: For me, I think it’s the educational piece that goes along with it. I know that in many high schools, they didn’t really teach sex education. It was a lot of abstinence only, and very brief topics and discussions around it. A lot of events during Sex Week talk about sex, and what to do/ ways to stay safe. This year I’ve added some relationship components to it like ways to have a healthy relationship.
HC: Favorite thing about Sex Week?
RP: The drag show for sure! Besides the educational piece, the drag show is the most fun and entertaining part. Normally we have 4 to 5 drag queens but, this year we have 7. So, the show is going to go on a lot longer. It’s going to be super exciting! Also, with the prizes for Sextoberfest, we actually have prizes this year.
HC: What inspires you?
RP: Seeing other people happy and their smiling faces. I know a lot of things I do, like Sex Week and being a Peer Mentor, makes people smile and makes their days better. With Peer Mentoring, I get to help first year students figure out college life, and help them out and that is really satisfying. I like being there for people because they were there for me.
HC: Anything else you’d like to mention?
RP: Sure! We always give out condoms and lube during Sex Week, this year during Sex Week we one-upped it. So, not only are we doing condoms and lube, we are giving out female condoms, dental dams, pads and tampons. I feel like that is an important thing that often gets overlooked when it comes to sexual and reproductive health. I know there is a petition going around campus to try to get those in the marketplace so they are easier to access. This isn’t a solution to the problem, but it is a way to help. I just encourage everyone to go to the Sex Week events if they can, get involved in Hall Council and have a great semester.
Follow Ryan and KIC on Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening on campus:
Ryan’s Twitter: @rcp245
KIC Twitter: @KentInterhall