You’ve probably seen Jen strutting her stuff on stage at Fall Fusion or Expoze, but did you know any of these other fun facts about her?
Name: Jennifer (Jen) Hogan
Year: Junior
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Castleton, NY
HC: What got you into computer science?
Jen: I was originally a biochem major, but I didn’t like the vibe. One day I saw this professor, Jim Matthews, and I recognized him because he knew my former math teacher. He asked why I was a biochem major, and I was like, “I dunno, I like science,” so he turned me away from that field and introduced me to computer science. Two days after meeting with him, I changed my schedule. It was a gamble, but a good one!
HC: What are you involved with on campus?
Jen: I’m the treasurer of Hip Hop club, the press secretary for CSA (Commuter Student Association)—I’m in charge of the lunches, flyers, and things like that. I’m in the entrepreneurship club, and used to play the bass clarinet in pep band, but this dropped in light of dance. Oh! I’m also a saint/orientation leader, and got the STEM position for this upcoming year.
HC: So, you’re a hardcore dancer. What got you started with dance and where do you see yourself going with it?
Jen: There’s this Broadway musical called CATS, and I was obsessed with this one song called Macavity (this is before I was even 2). I would watch the two-and-a-half-minute video over and over again, dancing along to it every time. My mom was like, “Alright, we need to get you into dance!” So I started kinder dance and did that for a year and a half. I asked to start doing competition at age four, but my instructor said the minimum age was six. I was like, “no,” and so I started from there. I was at my first studio from age 2 to 11, and then switched to a new one. I wanted to pursue dance, but I ended up loving Siena too much. I love teaching and hope to continue, which is my goal. I also hope to promote the app, “TeachMe”, and eventually open my own studio.
HC: Most unique thing that’s happened to you since being at Siena?
Jen: I worked in student activities over the summer, and this woman came up and randomly asked me to pose, cupping my ear, for that “We’re Listening!” poster that’s up everywhere. I didn’t think it would get to be as big a thing as it did! So, during orientation, when everyone came back showing me pictures of myself, I thought it was funny because I expected it to be a private thing. It’s between that or being the cup during the “Dunkin’ Dance-Offs” at the basketball games at the Times Union. I had a lot of fun with that; I would always do things like splits and the worm!
HC: Where is your favorite place to go?
Jen: Capital Buffet, because I absolutely love Chinese food. It’s unlimited for $8, and sesame chicken’s my favorite. Or the movie theater.
HC: Favorite quote?
Jen: *trying to think of Steve Carrell (from The Office) quote* *Looks up Steve Carrell quote* I feel like I secretly am Michael…to some degree. Actually, I feel like I’m a mix between Steve Carrell, Michael Scott, and Dwight. Oh, here’s one! “Nothing feels as good to me as laughing incredibly hard.” …and I do that a lot.
HC: Fun fact about yourself?
Jen: My favorite color is glaucous, a blue-grey color. I like it because of its name. We joke that my favorite color is glaucous, but in reality, it’s black.