The Observer, February 1, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 15
Student Profile: Danny Pho
Katie Chioran: What's your favorite annual Case activity?
Danny Pho: Springfest. Springfest is a lot of fun. Music, inflatables, actually seeing people out… it's a blast.
KC: What are your after-graduation plans?
DP: I've accepted a position at Key Bank. It is part of their rotation program, so I'll be moving around every two months to a different department for two years.
KC: What exactly will you do there?
DP: That's a good question...I'm not too sure. It depends on which department I'm in, but typical finance positions.
KC: How did you decide your major and all those minors?
DP: I started as a management and math major and tried to do a dual degree. Math got to a point where the numbers disappeared. It was abstract algebra, and was more conceptual and theory-based, and I didn't like it anymore, so I changed to a minor. I always wanted to do something in business, so management was my major. Then it was between information systems and finance, and I guess I chose finance over information systems.
KC: Why did you want to be an R.A. all three years?
DP: The first year I did it, I had some ideas of what I wanted but wasn't completely positive; I really wanted to help first year students. I thought it sounded like a decent job: I get to interact with people, free housing. And then the job came along, and free housing wasn't worth it, but it was a lot of fun, and I was able to help people. I decided to come back for a second year, and then the third year was mostly because I felt like I had done this so long that it was a part of me.
KC: What's the funniest experience you've had as an R.A.?
DP: There are two stories. A couple residents decided to build a six-foot snowman in the elevator and had it go up and down a couple times. That was pretty fun. The same year, I guess UPS gives out free boxes if you say you want to send stuff, so they'll send you packages and packages of boxes. So they took the boxes, broke them apart, and made Pacman. They were costumes, essentially. A cardboard Pacman and a couple ghosts went into the freshmen chemistry classes and spent about 30 seconds in front of the classroom and then walked out. It was videotaped by MediaVision, so it got put on YouTube and College Humor.
KC: What's the worst movie you've ever seen?
DP: What was that Mariah Carey movie? Glitter. That was pretty bad. That one, or the one with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez…Gigli.
KC: Favorite Leutner meal?
DP: I like Leutner breakfasts. I like breakfast foods, so anything that's a breakfast food would work.
KC: What do you think about doing internships?
DP: Definitely get an internship. It's great experience, and it looks really, really good on your résumé. I guess that shouldn't be the biggest thing, but you learn a lot, and it lets you decide if you want to stay in that field. So definitely get as many internships as possible that can help you advance in your career…Maybe not during the school year like I did, since that gets a little intense, but internships are great.
KC: Do you have any advice for freshmen after watching your dormmates go through it year after year?
DP: Definitely take the time to enjoy these four years and stop complaining about having nothing to do. It goes by really fast and sooner or later you're going to have to grow up. These four years are the safest time you have, so take chances. These four years went by way too fast for me and I worked a little too hard, so try not to work as hard. Grades are important, but not everything.
