Name: Dan Leopold
Year: junior
Major: history and journalism double major
Hometown: Kenmore, New York
Her Campus: “This is your first time being on the board for The Buzz (our campus radio station). How has it been going so far?
Dan Leopold: “It’s been going alright, we haven’t put out our first magazine yet so it hasn’t been that busy yet. It’ll start to pick up once the semester goes along and we print more magazine issues.”
HC: “Why did you want to work for the magazine?”
DL: “I’d been writing for the magazine since I was a freshman and really enjoy writing about music. It only made sense to try and become an editor because I also like reading other people’s opinions on music. I think the Buzzworthy is an underappreciated resource on campus so I want to make it as popular as it can be.”
HC: “You’re a history and journalism double major. What made you want to double major?”
DL: Honestly, it was because I enjoyed both subjects in high school. I liked writing and admired a lot of print and online magazine writers in both sports and music, so it made sense to major in it. I think I love history in a different way because it wasn’t so much that the writing captured me as much as the actual content. I think it’s the perfect venue to understand the hundreds and thousands of different cultures around the world.”
HC: “Do you ever have a hard time handling the work load?”
DL: “Like I said before, the workload hasn’t picked up that much yet so it’s definitely tolerable at this point. I’m also only taking 13 credits this semester which helps.”
HC: “I’ve heard you had a really cool internship in the archives last year. Can you tell us about that?”
DL: “Last spring semester I was able to catalogue more than 500 folders filled with documents concerning soldiers enrolled in the 154th New York Volunteer Regiment during the Civil War. That regiment was raised in Cattaraugus County, which meant every soldier was from the area around Bonaventure. The documents ranged from letters and poems written by the soldiers to their loved ones to pictures of the ephemera they owned while serving in the regiment. It was amazing to get an intimate look at individual soldiers, especially because learning about the Civil War we tend to focus on the massive implications it had nationally instead of honing the scope to individuals. I was also impressed that these men were from the surrounding area and how much of a critical role they in the War, namely in Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.”
HC: “What’s your favorite album right now? Favorite TV/Netflix show?”
DL: That’s a tough question to answer. I’ve been rediscovering a lot of post-punk bands like Mission of Burma and Joy Division lately, but my favorite album right now has to be Retrograde by James Blake. It came out a few years ago but the production is so lush and his voice is so spectacular that I still come back to it. Plus those songs with Chance the Rapper and RZA are gold. For my favorite show, I don’t watch a lot of television but I do have Netflix and I really like the show Master of None on there. Aziz Ansari’s humor in it takes a while to get but I think that makes the show organic. Plus the soundtrack to it is amazing.”
HC: “If you could travel anywhere you want, money not a concern, where would you go and why?”
DL: “Probably Japan. I’ve taken a few classes on pre-modern and modern Japan and I’m fascinated by it. The whole country seems like a different world there. Everything is different and I would love to travel there to experience it.”
HC: “What are your hobbies?”
DL: “Besides listening to music, I like to read and write. I also like biking and playing frisbee, which I feel is a very college frat boy answer but it is what it is.”
HC: “What made you want to come to Bonaventure?”
DL: “My mom’s boss had a few connections here and was able to introduce to some really wonderful people who convinced me this school was right for me.”
Photo credit: Danny Bush