Joel Money ’12 knows what he wants and knows where he’s going. Oh, and everyone knows him. Pressure? No way. For Joel, that’s just part of the title of being St. Olaf 2011 King of the Hill.
This year’s King of the Hill competition brought in the best and the brightest of St. Olaf cuties, but winning the intense competition in the Pause meant that Joel couldn’t get by merely on looks alone. “I was just really trying to be myself up there on stage.” says Joel. “I like to crack jokes every now and then, so I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable.”
Throughout the night, he was forced to sing a ditty to impress the crowd, answer some serious questions about his life and St. Olaf, and impress a few ladies. But what does it take to impress him? “The perfect woman needs to be comfortable being little spoon all the time, because I can never be little spoon since I’m 6’7″,” says Joel. “She ideally also would be attractive (even without makeup), would be able to make me laugh.” And she sure would have to measure up… Joel spent the majority of his time on stage leaving the audience in stitches.
Obviously, Joel’s charm shone through and he wowed the judges (including our beloved Pamela McDowell, Bon Appetit workers, and previous Campus Celebrity Natalie Davis ’12 http://www.hercampus.com/school/stolaf/meet-natalie-davis-miss-minnesota…), a feat that left him sitting on a homemade throne in a crown and a cape in front of all the Oles who had shown up to watch the competition.
One of the most exciting parts of the show was the swimsuit competition, and while Joel’s fellow contenders certainly brought their A-game in inner tubes and luxe towels, it was Joel’s signature St. Olaf speedo that really bought him some points. What many don’t know is that Joel is completely comfortable in that speedo. “I probably spend more time in a speedo than I do out of one, so I felt completely normal in one in front of the student body,” says Joel. “It was my favorite speedo too, which was a super bonus.” You see, Joel is a member of the St. Olaf swim team, perhaps one of his favorite activities here at St. Olaf. According to Joel, the swim team “taught me more about the value of hard work and determination than I could have learned from any other organization.”
Beyond swimming, Joel is a very active chemistry major and biomedical concentrator, and is the TA of a chem125 lab. He hopes to go to medical school within the next few years, and really credits St. Olaf with the proper preparation to reach this dream. He also is a member of Oles for Global Health (“Although I have yet to make a meeting this year,” he jokes. “I’m trying!”) and considers himself a superfan of Agnes Acapella. According to Joel, what sets St. Olaf apart is that people, “really have their priorities straight. Also, is it just me, or have the St. Olaf women as a whole gotten drastically hotter this year?”
His advice to the ladies of St. Olaf? “Know what you’re doing with your life, or at least have a pretty solid idea of where you’re headed in the near future. And stand up for what you believe in. Being wishy-washy is a huge turn-off. Hot + smart = good.”