Zach Ruben
Year: 2011
Major: Hotel Administration
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Relationship Status: Single
Favorites:
Class: Business Computing (HADM 1174), Advanced Business Modeling (HADM 4477), and Visual Basic for Applications (HADM 4476)
Book: 1984 by George Orwell
Movie: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Music: Anything really. No country.
Quote: “Be good at something, it makes you valuable.” and “Don’t complain. Just work harder.” – Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture”
This photo-savvy cutie is a Hotelie loyalist through and through. “I live in Statler Hall,” says Zach about his daily stomping grounds. “There’s even a cot for me in the back of this super secret hidden room that only Hotelies know about…” he jokes. He shows his love for SHA through his many commitments and leadership positions throughout the Statler. As Media Director of Hospitality Financial Technology Professionals, Social Media Consultant for the Statler Hotel, and Hotel School Ambassador, his many projects in SHA are strongly reliant on his background in broadcast journalism and media management. His particular interests lie in photography and videography. He is currently in charge of several film projects, including the Hotel Ambassadors “Day in the Life of a Hotelie” video series, a promotional video for the Statler Hotel, and a video raising awareness about a new campus safety initiative called iCARE. Zach says that his work in video has been his most meaningful accomplishment. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to shoot videos and photos for businesses and individuals and produce high quality work that people are proud to put up,” he says. His diligence, enthusiasm, and entrepreneurial spirit have encouraged him to start his own videography business throughout high school and even in college. Although it was this hard work and commitment which landed him his current position in online marketing with a Hotel Asset Management Company, he ultimately hopes to realize his dreams of owning an international business in photography and videography.
Fun Facts:
How long have you been working and how did you get into photography? I’ve been shooting photographs since I was in the third grade when my mom gave me my first film camera. It’s gradually evolved from there. I shot Bar and Bat Mitzvah photography and videography throughout high school as a business and continued with it into college. During my internship in the summer of 2009, the General Manager of the hotel property I was working at was telling the Sales Department that he wanted a video made of the hotel. I volunteered myself and told him I could do it, and he got all of my equipment shipped from KS. I made the video and got commissioned to do more over winter break and the following summer. It’s been the ride of my life doing video.
How you spent your summer: Working for a Hotel Asset Management Company doing Online Marketing.
What do you look for in a girl: Intelligence, great personality, and being cute.
Dealbreakers, when it comes to girls: Crazy cat ladies
What’s the best thing about Cornell? The Hotel School. Hands down!
What’s the worst thing about Cornell? The weather–stereotypical, I know. The amount of work we get? Then again we are prepared for real life…
Something not a lot of people know about you? One of my nicknames is Shades. I always wear sunglasses on top of my head no matter whether it snows, sleets, rains or shines. I can pretend it’s sunny here, right?
Thoughts on graduation: It’s finally here. A lot of stuff is happening all at once right here at the end, which is exciting, but I may not be able to get to all of it
Thoughts on Nelly for Slope Day: Sounds good to me. See my previous comment about my musical tastes
Future/Career Prospects: Current: Working for the Hotel Asset Management Company in Online Marketing. Future: Photo/Video business