This week’s Campus Celebrity has a bucket list over a mile long. Today he can finally check “become a Campus Celebrity” off of that list. Meet the adventurous Jake Lupica!
Jake Lupica, 22, is a current senior at UT majoring in Human Performance with a concentration in Exercise Science and Recreational Leadership, and a minor in Education.
Jake is the Vice President of People for People, a homeless outreach organization. Each Sunday People for People sits in Stadium across from Dairy Queen and collect meals from students who have extras leftover. Jake’s passion for giving back to people who aren’t as fortunate as him is what drove him to be a part of this organization.
He said, “All of us go through rough patches and try to bounce back, but sometimes there are difficulties that knock us flat on our backs. There are some good people out on the streets that just need to be given one more opportunity to get back into the working world. Through People for People, I feel that I’m able to give them a club to fight back against those reasons and remind them they’re people who deserve the right to shelter, food, and comfort just like anybody else in the world.”
Aside from People for People, Jake is the Vice President of the Spartan Climbers Club. He is also the Student Coordinator of Experiential Education and Outdoor Pursuits, which entails the keep up of our campus’s Challenge Course, as well as planning Campus Recreation’s weekend trips. He has helped organize hikes, an indoor rock climbing event, and a family canoe trip.
This past May he spent ten days traveling Peru through the P.E.A.C.E. Volunteer Center. In Peru, the group worked with Peruvian Hearts, where they taught English, donated resources that they brought, and played with the children.
Along with his warm heart, Jake is also known for his adventurous side. Sometimes he will plan out his adventures ahead of time, but other times will get in his car and just drive somewhere to get lost. He loves the feeling of getting out of his comfort zone and trying new things. A quote he lives by is “If you aren’t living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space,” said by one of his favorite surf idols, Mike Tabeling. Some of Jake’s favorite places in the world are small villages in Costa Rica and Peru, the markets of Martha’s Vineyard, the mountain peaks of the White Mountains, and the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Here are 3 fun facts about Jake:
1. He recently became interested in cooking and baking, which he describes as “new and scary.”
2. He can play the Ukulele.
3. He can speak French fluently.
Next time you see Jake on campus, be sure to ask him to serenade you on the Ukulele and take you on a date to Puppies Puppies Puppies (because that is his favorite place in Tampa).