By Michelle Karparis | Staff Writer
It’s no secret that resident advisors are 
the poster children for personality and responsibility here at Salve, but how much do you really know about your RA? What do they do when they’re not making you participate in cheesy bonding activities? Do you know any of their secret talents? Do you ever just wonder what they keep in their refrigerator? Well, if your RA is Jake Hamel, you’re about to find out.
Hamel is a junior, Business Finance major from Cheshire, Connecticut, and a second year RA. He takes pride in his accomplishments as an RA, which include a pancake supper, gingerbread house making, and brightening up his residence halls with strategically cut door-decks and inspirational messages.
But meme-themed bulletin board making is just the beginning of the wide range of talents that Hamel has to offer. “Let me take you back,” he said of his DJing debut on campus, “to the first Halloween dance #Halloween2k13.” He remembers feeling “on top of the world” performing for the first time in front of his friends in Ochre Court. He described it as his favorite Salve moment, remembering the sound of his freshman class, and eventually the rest of Salve, chanting his name over “I’m On a Boat,” by The Lonely Island.
Hamel’s passion for music is no secret to his friends or residents. “I do enjoy the sound of music…but not The Sound of Music,” he joked. His music-making prowess, specifically as a DJ, has earned him the nickname “DJake,” but it doesn’t stop there. Hamel is also vice president of Salve’s radio club, WSRU, and has Jack Johnson-esque guitar and ukulele playing abilities. His musical icon is the band Dispatch, and he admits that his dream job would be to create soundtracks for movies and TV shows.
Beyond his musical interests, little do Hamel’s residents know that he is an Eagle Scout, Jack Wills employee, photographer, and stock exchange enthusiast. “I am a busy man,” he said. Yet, he still makes time for “taking photographs of nature and trees and the Cliff Walk,” and, of course, trading stocks. “Like actual stocks, and not stockings you hang on your fireplace,” Hamel said.
If you’ve ever wo
ndered what Hamel’s spirit animal is, it’s a Husky (for its friendly nature, not its dog-sledding finesse). If his life were made into a movie, he would be played by Leonardo DiCaprio, for which he only gave “#WolfofWallace” as his explanation. If he could go anywhere in the world it would be Switzerland, because “it’s probably beautiful,” and with several million dollars he would buy a cabin in the woods, a very nice guitar, and a Nintendo 64.
All of these quirks and qualities are obviously what make Hamel such a great fit in the RA community, but he believes he gets back as much from his job as he puts into it. “I’ve always enjoyed helping others,” he said. “It’s something that’s always been a passion of mine ever since I joined the Boy Scouts back in the day.”
Hamel also added that being an RA means being friends with everyone. This means, as it does with any RA, don’t be shy to say hello around campus. You won’t be disappointed with the exciting, hashtag-filled conversation that ensues. (Plus, now you have plenty of conversation-starting material.) “#WordUp.”
Oh, and if you’re still wondering what he keeps in his fridge– it’s a jar of homemade strawberry jam and a pack of gum.
