Name: Andrew Montalti
Year: Sophomore
Major: Political Science and Economics
Hometown: North Bellmore, Long Island
Her Campus: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Andrew Montalti: Well, it isn’t as much of a pet peeve, but something that really bothers me. I really hate it when after you order at like a busy restaurant, like Five Guys, and you really don’t know where to go. Like do I go and sit down and not hear my number get called and have my food be given to some soccer mom or do I hover over the counter like a parent who can’t say goodbye on move-in day? There’s literally no good way to go about doing this.
HC: Who is your role model?
AM: My Dad, he’s a hard worker, he perseveres through everything and he sleeps a lot. Those are basically all the things I try to do/be. Plus he doesn’t have a dad-bod so that’s always a plus.
HC: Signature dance move?
AM: Oh, the “Spongebob” is my go to. If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically a three part dance that involves your legs having synchronized spasms. If you’ve ever seen how I walk, I’m basically a natural at it. Surprisingly I’m pretty good at the “Dougie,” even though what I look like would say otherwise. Which means I’m basically Jackie Robinson of the mediocre dance scene.
HC: What are you going to be for Halloween this year? Favorite Halloween costume as a kid?
AM: My girlfriend and I (bless her soul for putting up with me for so long) are going as Squints and Wendy Peffercorn from The Sandlot. Let’s just hope that when I kiss her this year that I don’t get kicked out of the pool. Funny part is, is that I’m the one who’s CPR certified, so maybe I should be Wendy and Karin should be Squints…
My favorite Halloween costume as a kid was probably when I was a penguin. The year was 1997, frosted tips were in, Legends of the Hidden Temple was still on and this kid was a cute-ass penguin.
HC: What’s it like being the RA of the legendary ground floor of Leo?
AM: I guess you can say I’m #blessed. Since I applied I’ve always wanted to be on the G-Floor. I lived in 018 last year so I literally moved three doors down. Last year we made a music video that got about 100,000 views, competed in a knee hockey tournament and lofted desks just to name a few. My residents and I have a lot to live up to. So far it’s been awesome. My residents have a killer sense of humor—they make fake program posters and put them up—and they want to get involved.
HC: What’s your favorite part about being an RA?
AM: My favorite part about being an RA has been the people I’ve met, especially my staff. I’ve met my some of my best friends from being an RA. Currently my favorite thing to do is play scary video games in a dark room with RA Alex , also known as RAlex, and RA Josh in my room at 1:00 a.m.—yes men get scared, we all have soft sides. Jokes aside, being an RA is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had. I love it when I have my door open and my residents stop in to say hi, play some games or talk while they take handfuls from my candy bowl (room 015 if anyone wants candy). I love all the relationships I have with my residents.
HC: Favorite Season?
AM: So I find this question really hard. Fall at Marist is absolutely beautiful. I also like pants (and look better in them) and Fall is the first time that I get to break out khakis. I’m basically Jake from Statefarm during the fall. But what sucks about fall is that it literally ends with the most depressing season ever: winter. Winter at Marist is basically the reflection of how its students feel—no makeup, waking up five minutes before class and a wardrobe full of only sweatpants. That’s why I think spring has to be the best season. Not only is it gorgeous out at Marist beach where you can toss around a Frisbee, but it’s also the best wind-down as school is ending and summer is beginning.
HC: What’s your favorite spot on campus?
AM: My favorite spot on campus definitely has to be the grotto area on the path between Sheahan and Donnelly. It’s like this little hidden alcove with a bunch of benches and it’s always quiet. My favorite part of this alcove has to be the one-armed Jesus statue. I think it’s kind of funny how pristine Marist is yet there’s a statue, of basically the Lord’s son, whose arm has been cleanly chopped off.
HC: Favorite Disney Character?
AM: Elsa. I wish I could look that good in blue and white and have the voice of a wintery angel—but hey we all got dreams don’t we?
HC: What’s something we don’t know about you?
AM: I’ve always wanted to do stand-up comedy since like the 8th grade. I also witness a lot of weird abnormal things that I think people would find funny. Self-deprecation and dry witty humor are my forte. The only thing that keeps me from going up on stage is the fear of no one finding my jokes funny or no one getting my humor.
HC: What do you want to do after college?
AM: So I really have no clue what I want to do exactly. I have a vague idea. I know in the end I want to teach in higher education. I was thinking that I would go to law school after Marist, and then after a while in that field, I would cash out and go into higher education. My other plan is to get my masters, perhaps in either business or public administration, work for a while, then in my mid-thirties open up a brewery with Karin, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend in the Mid-Hudson region. We’re currently still trying to settle on the name. After that I guess I would teach a course on the business of brewing.
HC: Preferred form of transportation?
AM: I freaking love trains. They’re like the laziest form of transportation you can take. Cars you have to constantly watch traffic, getting on an airplane is just straight up inconvenient, but trains, let me tell you. You literally just sit there and listen to music and zone out without the fear of hitting other drivers or going to the wrong boarding zone. Also, not to mention that the ride from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central is beautiful as it rides along the Hudson. Can you drive or fly directly next to the Hudson? Nope, that’s why trains kick ass.
HC: Favorite White Girl food establishment, where you “can’t even?”
AM: I’d probably have to say Chipotle. Nowhere else can I go and get a 1,200 calorie Mexican mess wrapped up neatly in a delicious tortilla that tastes like it came straight from the pearly gates of heaven.
HC: What’s the most romantic date you’ve ever been on?
AM: So last Valentine’s Day I went back home to be with bae. I came home that Friday and the following day was Valentine’s Day. Karin, couldn’t get off work during the day so I told her that I would just take her out to some place for dinner. At this point we had been dating for about three years so we had done the whole dinner out thing for Valentine’s Day plenty of times. This year I figured I would do something different. Little did she know that while she was at work I went to Stop and Shop, picked up ingredients, then went to her house to cook her dinner. So when she walked into her house and into the kitchen all she saw was me with a candle-lit dinner full of food that I had prepared for her and I. That’s definitely one of my prouder moments of being a boyfriend.
Sorry ladies, he’s taken.