Name: Tanner Reichard
Year: Junior
Major: Accounting in the Business School (previously Political Science)
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Favorite Food: Philly Cheesesteak
Relationship Status: Taken
From building things to building impact, he’s a junior looking to make a big difference. So mark your calendars for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on October 21, and meet this week’s Campus Cutie, Tanner Reichard!
HC (Her Campus): So Tanner, it’s the start of Fall! What is your favorite part?TR (Tanner Reichard): The crinkle of leaves… they sound like potato chips coming right out of the bag, and who doesn’t love that? (Laughs).
HC: Do you have any big plans for Fall Break?TR: My girlfriend and I are going to D.C. We watch Parks and Recreation together, and Leslie Knope goes and visits Washington. So we’re just going to go do that.
HC: What are you involved in here at Wake?TR: Freshman year I signed up for absolutely everything; I was a joiner. I was involved in Student Union, Student Government, Roosevelt Club, Wake TV, Wake Radio, and the Debate Team … Now, I’ve focused my involvement a little bit more on Sigma Phi Epsilon, as the Vice President of Member Development and the Philanthropy Chair, as well as being a member of the acapella group Innuendo.
HC: Can you tell us about the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event coming up?TR: It is Sig Ep’s big philanthropy event; we partner with PREPARE and Trailblaze. A couple of years ago, I attended the Walk at UGA and thought it was a really great idea to bring to Wake. The event is on October 21, from 2:30-6pm on the Upper Quad, but there will be events leading up to it all week, like a speaking event.
HC: That sounds like such a great idea! What made you want to choose this cause?TR: We’re trying to restructure our fraternity, nationally, and to make a big statement on campus. We want to show that not all fraternities are the same, and that this is something we’re passionate about. The event is really relevant to all the issues that have been brought up on Wake’s campus … especially since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
HC: Why should people attend?TR: It is going to be a fun learning experience. It is a way to show your commitment and to get something from it. It’s competitive, but silly; you literally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes – [women’s heels]. This is a chance for us to come back in a big way, adapt to campus, and stand for something different.
HC: What are some of your other passions and hobbies?TR: I like to build things and do woodwork … Building and fixing things are definitely my release … I play guitar and write music. I also beatbox in Innuendo – it’s fun. I sang most of my life, participated in musical theater, played in band, and had a band … I’ve always had that musicality. I still write music, which is also a good release.
HC: So you’re big on music – what song would you pick to describe your life – that you’ve written yourself or not – and why?TR: Probably “Hooked on a Feeling” just because I think it’s an excellent song; I’m very tangentially passionate, you could say – I get hooked on something and run with it … It’s been my alarm for a year and a half now, and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. It wakes me up.
HC: We have to ask – what is your relationship status?TR: I am taken; we’ve been dating for six months.
HC: What attracted you to your girlfriend?TR: It was great that it was not forced. We were friends before and always hung out and studied together. It wasn’t something either one of us was necessarily looking for to happen, but it just happened.
HC: Any deal makers or deal breakers for you?TR: Deal maker would have to be wearing comfy sweaters.
HC: What is something unexpected about you?TR: On my Wake Forest application (laughing), I included, on my list of achievements, my award for when I rode with a dolphin in the second grade.
HC: Anything in particular on your bucket list for junior and senior year?TR: I am going to find the secret tunnels underneath the lower quad.
HC: What were your first impressions of Wake, and how is that different from how you view Wake now?TR: I loved all the granite (laughs). It was kind of cliquey, but it is more unified than at a first glance. Everyone is connected in some way.
HC: Do you have a celebrity doppelganger?TR: I don’t think I have a celebrity doppelganger, but I’d like to say Tom Cruise. He’s great –he’s my number one celebrity crush. I’ve heard Andrew Garfield from Spiderman before though.
HC: Any parting thoughts you’d like to share?TR: Definitely sign up for our Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event; we’re hoping on a big turnout! Also, no matter what happens, you will get through it and find that inner strength. And always treat people nicely.