Andrew Bevilacqua is not known by anyone – he’s known by everyone. Andrew – or Bev, as he’s better known- has an insatiable appetite for human connection. Bev seems to amass more friends than even the friendliest person, and cares deeply for each individual. Bev extends his kindness and caring outside of the Fordham gates. He truly embodies one of his own favorite elements of the Jesuit mantra: Andrew Bevilacqua is a man for others.
Where are you from? The Philadelphia suburbs – an awesome place filled with great people and a TON of Wawas. And, for anyone who unfortunately doesn’t know what a Wawa is, someone once said that they’re like a 7-Eleven on steroids.
What year are you? Sophomore…although on the maturity scale, I feel more like a fifth-grader.
What is your major? English and Spanish.
What activities are you involved in? I’m a CLC leader, I tutor with the Crotona program on weekends, help out at Masses as a Liturgical Minister, and I’ll be going to Spain this summer for World Youth Day with Fordham’s pilgrimage team. Sometimes I also solve mysteries.
Favorite movie: This is probably really embarrassing, but one of the Star Trek movies. I think Star Trek II is pretty awesome!
Favorite band/musician: U2. I’m also a loyal fan of Fordham’s own Jetpack Atlantic.
Favorite book: Besides being a complete Star Trek geek, I also love all the Harry Potter books. If I had to give my top five though, Fight Club would definitely be in there too; I actually had to read it for a class in high school, and there’s a lot of cool stuff in it!
Favorite TV show: Star Trek shows. Surprised?
How did you decide to come to Fordham? Fordham was actually my first choice! I’m usually really neurotic about every big decision I have to make, but for some reason, after I got in, I was pretty confident that Fordham was the right choice. It seemed to have everything that I wanted: it’s an urban, Jesuit school, it’s not too far away from home, and a bunch of guys from my high school usually go here each year, so I already knew some people here when I started. And, probably because of the dumb luck that usually helps me with my decision-making, it worked out perfectly – I’m happy I decided to come here!
Do you have any tips for students who are trying to balance schoolwork, extracurriculars, and other obligations like internships? It’s tough, but I think that doing a few things outside of school – even if you have some hard classes – is always worth it. I wasn’t involved in as many things as I would have liked last year, so this year I signed up for some more extracurriculars, and, although I’m busier, I’m happy that I got involved in a few more things. This probably sounds really lame, but my advice would be to try not to stretch yourself too thin. Definitely get involved in stuff and take advantage of extracurriculars and internships, but I think that it’s better to pick a couple of activities and throw yourself into them than trying to do a little bit of everything.
What’s your favorite thing about NY? I love how many famous landmarks are up here. There’s always something to do, and there’s such a wide range of cool places to visit. I hadn’t been up here very often before I came to Fordham, so I’m still excited that I’m at a school where I can easily get to see a Broadway show, visit the Empire State Building, and other things like that.
What’s your least favorite thing about NY? The crowds and the traffic. It always amazes me that so many people live and work here, but I hate being on a crowded subway or stuck in traffic if I’m on a bus going into or out of the city.
Do you have a favorite Fordham memory? It’s really hard to choose just one. I love going into the city, but some of the times that I’m probably going to remember best from being at Fordham are just hanging around with my friends, on a retreat or even just in somebody’s dorm room late at night with some Pugsley’s food and a whole bunch of awesome people.
Do you have a favorite NYC memory? Either a Broadway show or going to the top of the Empire State Building. I had a great time seeing West Side Story last year.
What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? It’s hard to pick, but probably my exit-level Spanish class with Professor Patricia Romero. By that point, we had learned enough Spanish to be able to read and analyze a whole bunch of stories and poems. That class definitely helped me improve in speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish.
What’s your least favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? I haven’t had a class that I’ve absolutely hated, but I think my least favorite would be Ancient Philosophy. I had a great professor and the class was interesting, but some of the philosophers’ theories that we studied gave me a bit of a headache.
Where’s your favorite spot on campus? Probably around Eddie’s and the steps at the front of Keating. It’s great to just walk around there when the weather’s nice and hang out with some friends. It’s definitely one of the most scenic spots at Fordham.
If you could give one piece of advice to an incoming Fordham freshman, what would it be? Hang out in the city as much as you can! I’ll be halfway done with my time at Fordham soon – which is a scary thought itself – but I wish I had spent some more time in Manhattan already. There’s some great stuff in the Bronx around us, but make sure you take advantage of everything there is to do in the city.
What’s your dream job? This probably sounds kinda weird, but I’d love to teach English and Spanish in a high school. I went to a Jesuit high school (St. Joe’s Prep in Philly) and had so many great teachers who I really respect and would want to emulate. So, I’d love to make it back there one day and work alongside them. It’s not the most lucrative job out there, but I’d love the chance to have a positive effect on students in the same way that my teachers did for me.
What’s on your NYC bucket list? So many things…I hate that I’ve only got two years left here and there’s still so much that I’d like to do. I definitely want to see some more Broadway shows, and spend more time in Manhattan. I want to get back to the Empire State Building, get to some more museums, hang out in Central Park some more, go back to the Brooklyn Bridge, and I’d love to get to Coney Island, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. And, I’m still hoping that one day, I’ll run into the cast of Law and Order: SVU while they’re filming and get to chill out with them. I’d love to somehow get on the show and have a scene with Ice-T and the other detectives!
What do you think the best part of a Jesuit education is? It’s hard for me to pick, because I really love all the different aspects of a Jesuit education. I went to a Jesuit high school (we fondly call it “The Prep”), and I really wanted to go to a Jesuit university after my experiences there. I love all the Jesuit mantras, but my favorites would have to be the concepts of the magis (doing “the more”) and being a man for others. I love that a Jesuit education encourages you to learn outside the classroom, and to commit yourself to challenging yourself and loving and serving others.
Who is your favorite professor at Fordham? Dr. Patricia Romero, la profesora más fantástica de Fordham. I had her for Spanish during my first semester of freshman year, and took two more of her classes after that. She’s a great teacher and a genuine, incredibly awesome person; I hope I have another class with her before I graduate. Dean Gould is wonderful too. Philosophy isn’t my favorite subject, but I loved his class and he’s a fantastic guy, both in and out of the classroom.
What’s one thing everyone would be surprised to learn about you? I’m not sure how much of a surprise this is, since I’ve told so many people this story, but I was once an extra on an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I was in a scene with Danny DeVito that was directed by Fred Savage, and I got to meet Charlie Day and his wife, who plays The Waitress on the show. Unfortunately, my scene was cut from the episode, but I promise, I was there…and I have pictures to prove it!
Pick one!
Bronx Zoo or Botanical Gardens? The Botanical Gardens. It’s an awesome place to run, and there aren’t any cobras.
Arthur Ave/Fordham Road? Arthur Avenue…so many great places to eat!
Cafeteria or Grille? The Grille; I love a good buffalo chicken wrap!
Conway or Dr. Jay’s? Dr. Jay’s.
RamVan or Subway? Subway.
Duane Reade or WalGreen’s? Walgreen’s.
Met or MoMA? The Met.
Hot Dog or Bagel? Bagels!
Broadway or Off-Broadway? Broadway. In my opinion, Broadway is only second to the Cape and Sword shows back at The Prep.
Radio City or Madison Square Garden? Madison Square Garden.
Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge? The Brooklyn Bridge is super-cool, but I like Central Park a little bit more. It’s a great place to go just to wander around and chill out, and it always amazes me that there’s such a big, green space right in the heart of NYC.