Meet A Deac
Happy Monday, everyone! It’s time for another Meet A Deac. Before we get started, I wanted to let our P’26s know that the New Students website is now live with updated information for the Class of 2026. Families, please pay special attention to the section just for families. We also sent a detailed email to all P’26s whose students’ deposits have been received and processed; see the message on our archive page.
And now, I am pleased to be introducing you to one of my excellent colleagues from Residence Life and Housing, Ryan Howard (’14, MFA ’20).
Ryan, thanks so much for doing this. To get started today, please tell me your official job title and how long you’ve been at Wake. My title is Operations Manager, Residence Life & Housing (and I recently became a lecturer in the Department of Communication). I have been at Wake as a staff member for three years: two years as a Graduate Assistant, and one year as a full-time employee.
I’m gonna cheat here and say that I know you are a Double Deac (i.e., you have two degrees from Wake Forest). Tell me a bit about your education. True, I am a Double Deac! I got my BA in Psychology and Communication and my MFA from the Documentary Film Program here at Wake.
In laypersons terms, how would you describe your job? I support the Office of Residence Life & Housing with communication, marketing and digital media needs, as well as making sure that the nuts and bolts of our major processes run smoothly and that staff have the technology they need to do their jobs well.
What do you like best about working at Wake? I love that folks at Wake are passionate about what they do and work to help students find and hone similar passions.
Speaking of students, what advice would you offer them? Find the folks who nerd out about the things you do and can match your level of enthusiasm – those are the friendships that stick. Similarly, find mentors who challenge you to grow, and have challenging conversations with friends. It may sound cliché, but comfort zones don’t get you anywhere; your time and financial investment in college should push you towards meaningful growth and change.
What advice would you give to parents and families if they asked? Encourage your students to find ways to practice ‘real life’ ahead of leaving campus – I think it’s important to ‘fall’ when you still have safety nets, and Wake is a community that provides that.
You and I worked very closely during the most active part of the pandemic, and I know you – like all of us – had challenges. Talk a little about that. I was finishing up my grad degree during the pandemic, which involved shooting and editing a thesis film. Quite the challenge when suddenly everyone is stuck at home!
You’ve been at Wake as both a student and a staffer. Do you have a favorite place on campus? The practice rooms in the basement of Scales Fine Arts Center. I’ve done a lot of thinking and processing over a piano.
Ready for the lightning round?
Book(s) you’re reading now, and/or podcasts you are listening to: It’s definitely “books” (I’m horrible about not finishing one book and starting another). The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Going There by Katie Couric, and Beloved by Toni Morrison. For podcasts, it’s POOG with Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak, Las Culturistas, Up First by NPR and This Jungian Life (in an alternate timeline, I became a Jungian analyst).
Favorite band/musician: impossible to condense! Glad to go into painful detail if anyone wants to talk.
Favorite movies/TV shows/Netflix, etc.: for film, this is tough. A few favorite films this year were Power of the Dog and Passing. For TV, I like so-bad-it’s-brilliant reality tv or any show that lets the actor(s) shine.
Website(s) you frequent: YouTube, WordPress (for our website) and Twitter (against the interest of my mental health).
Things you really love: filmmaking, folk music, hikes, traveling, time alone to read, photography, and big dinners with friends.
Introvert or extrovert? Extrovert when I need to be. Recharge alone.
Something most people don’t know about you: I’m the oldest of four siblings.
What didn’t I ask that you want to answer? “What’s your Enneagram number?” I’m a 4 🙂
Many thanks to you, Ryan, for being this week’s Meet A Deac, and for all you do for the residential experience on campus, and our campus community.
Reminder: you can read past Meet A Deacs here.
— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)