Meet my two friends, Jake Gersten and Alex Horden. As roommates, best friends, and fraternity brothers, Jake and Alex find a way to make each day just a bit funnier for the rest of us. They spent the majority of our interview talking purely in inside jokes and quotes from the movie “Step Brothers.” Read on to find out more about this duo!
Names: Jake Gersten and Alex Horden
Hometowns: Tampa, Florida (Jake); Clearwater, Florida (Alex)
Years: Juniors
Majors: Business Management (Jake); Digital Media Production (Alex)
Relationship Statuses: Single
Courtesy: Jake Gersten
Her Campus (HC): Let’s start with the basics: how do you two know each other
Alex Horden (AH): We were pledge brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) in the fall of 2014. We knew each other but weren’t super close until we decided to live together.
HC: Tell me something interesting about each other.
Jake Gersten (JG): Some people might not know this, but Alex is the fraternity hype video producer, AKA Historian. His AEPi Semiformal 2015 video was featured on Total Frat Move and University PrimeTime!
AH: Jake is a real good lookin’ tall guy, I’ll tell you that.
HC: Let’s talk politics.
JG/AH: Not feelin’ politics at the present time.
HC: What’s the best part of rooming together?
AH: We love to watch Tampa Bay sports, Liverpool soccer, Manchester United soccer, and sports in general. We also both play different sports for AEPi, such as soccer and football. Soccer is our favorite—I’m the center midfielder and Jake is the goalie.
Courtesy: Alex Horden (in Mondsee, Austria)
HC: What’s on repeat on your current Spotify playlists?
AH: I love this question! Alternative Rock and EDM music are definitely two of my favorites. I love listening to Alt Nation on XM Radio and BPM as well. Keep a lookout up for our AEPi Christmas party hype video—it will include “We Like to Party” by Showtek with the Slander and NGTMRE Festival Trap Edit. If you’re reading this, go listen to that song. Now.
JG: We can vibe with pretty much anything. Believe me, from Trap music and EDM to rap—you name it, we listen to it.
HC: If you could be any animal on a carousel, which one would you be?
AH: I’d totally be a cheetah. Supposedly they’re the fastest land animals, but I’m definitely the only thing that’s faster.
JG: I’d be a bird. As a dual team, Alex and I have been called the songbirds of our generation (name that quote!).
Courtesy: Jake Gersten
HC: What’s your pet peeve?
AH: Honestly, I just don’t like negative people. I’m always trying to be positive and see the best in any situation—I’m all about communication.
JG: I don’t like people named Alex.
HC: Why did you choose to rush AEPi?
JG: Well, we both rushed our sophomore year. I lived with one of my friends from back home, David Cohen, and we both really connected with the AEPi brothers and decided to rush at the same time.
AH: I rushed because my roommates were also going to rush AEPi. They all happened to be from the Clearwater area and I just really vibe with them and my other brothers.
HC: Where do you guys go to eat?
JG/AH: Where do we start? Some might call us pizza connoisseurs—we’re pretty much addicted to Brooklyn Pizza. Their Garlic Chicken White Pizza is pretty dope and everyone should definitely try it. Now. We don’t deal with that frozen pizza crap; we bypass Publix and go straight to Whole Foods for their high quality water and pizza. We do enjoy going to Publix and cooking our own meals at home to balance out all of the pizza we tend to eat.
HC: If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, which three things would you choose?
AH: Jake, Jake, and electrolyte water from Whole Foods.
JG: Alex (just one Alex), a machete, and a garlic chicken white pizza from Brooklyn Pizza.
Courtesy: Alex Horden
HC: What are some interesting places you’ve visited?
JG: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, England (I’m a huge fan of Manchester United), Switzerland, almost all of Central America, most of the Caribbean, the majority of states, Canada, Israel, and last but not least, Tallahassee. This past summer, I spent time in Israel with six fraternity brothers and from there we flew to Munich, Germany. We took trains to Zurich, Switzerland and Paris, France; both are incredible places. It was a 21-day trip and I would give anything to go back. In high school, my team went to Manchester and practiced with Manchester United! I haven’t been to South America or Africa—those are next on my list.
AH: I went to Italy when I was nine years old. Venice is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Vancouver is a close second after that. I saw the US Women’s National Soccer Team win 4-0 against Japan in Vancouver. I saw my favorite club, Liverpool, play in Liverpool, England. It definitely was the trip of a lifetime for me. From Liverpool, I took the train to France and saw Switzerland as well. Austria was a stunning country and is so full of culture. I also had the greatest pizza to date in Mondsee, Austria. Sorry, Brooklyn Pizza.
HC: What’s your favorite 90’s jam?
AH: I’ve got two songs from the late nineties to the early 2000s—“Pop” by *NSYNC and “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer. Quality songs right there.
JG: Eminem’s older songs and anything by Biggie Smalls.
HC: What has been your favorite memory thus far as an FSU student?
JG: Definitely the national championship. I watched the game at Cancun’s and witnessed all of the riots on Call Street. It was an incredible experience.
AH: The national championship night was insane and was probably my favorite memory as well. I was at Clyde’s and saw the Call Street riots. It’s a memory I will never be able to forget.
HC: If you were 100 years old, what would you tell your grandkids?
JG: I would just share my life experiences and try to tell them what was most important to me and give them tips on life in general, I suppose. Just let life happen! Don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff.
AH: Hopefully by then, I will be an accomplished sports broadcaster or filmmaker. I would love to tell my grandkids about the incredible experiences I’ve had and the things I’ve seen. Also, you’ve gotta risk it to get the biscuit.