JJ Gonzalez ’11: Senior Class President

         Being the Senior Class President of the University of Rochester is much like running a business. Using our class budget of $80,000+, my eight member Class Council and I get creative with promoting our class spirit & unity with various programs that more often that not, include, but don’t revolve around, alcohol. We frequently rent out clubs in the city for “Senior Nights”.  Negotiating “no cover” or fabulous drink specials for University of Rochester students is my favorite part of the job. Interacting with area businesses and numerous different people in diverse positions really gives me real world business experience. Other than our “Senior Nights” at local bars and clubs we have happy hours on campus and sponsor numerous dinners, sporting events, and brewery tours. Being able to mass email the senior class at will or speaking at graduation is just a perk of the job.

          St. Patrick’s Day Bailey’s & Hot Chocolate Event

         With being so “hawt & popular” around campus it is difficult to maintain your social status, grades, and good looks without having excellent time management. I stay strict to my schedule everyday that usually involves study time, visiting professors during office hours to ask clarification questions, going to class, hitting the gym, responding to emails, going to a social event (or two), and finally just relaxing at the frat house watching the latest show on Hulu with a beer. There’s a time and place for everything and once you realize that you can make it far in college. Staying true to the old mantra “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, & wise” can be an excellent theme to any college lifestyle. Especially, when it will keep your night’s events from being front and center on textsfromlastnight.com or worse, collegeacb.com.  

         To be honest you just need to be born hawt, popular, and rich to get to where I am now. Just kidding. By being nice and treating everyone on the same level you can make friends quickly. Simple things like just remembering a person’s name or something they mentioned they enjoy doing can really make the difference to someone. Having good rapport gains notoriety and eventually popularity on your campus. I won the “Mr. U of R” competition as a sophomore and was named “Rochester’s Most Wanted” as a senior. I use my popularity to get my peers aware of causes and charities that are near and dear to my heart such as the American Cancer Society. From donations at my past birthday parties as well as when my fraternity brothers publicly “Roasted” me last year I’ve raised past $5,000 for the American Cancer Society. I’m truly excited that my classmates have shown initiative in the fight against cancer and thankful they have supported my charity events!