Janesh Gupta
ASUCD Senator
Major: computer science
Second-year
1. What are you best at cooking?
I’m pretty good at making boiled eggs. I’m really bad in the kitchen overall, but I like boiled eggs a lot, and mac and cheese. I think I’ve perfected mac and cheese.
2. If you could make a magic potion to do anything, what would it do?
A magic potion for me to wake up in the morning at 8 a.m. because I’ve needed that these last couple of quarters. That’s probably it, to find the energy to wake up for 8 a.m.’s on this campus.
3. What movie would you like your life to resemble?
I wish it was like a Finding Forrester type of thing, where I don’t have everything figured out and then someone helps me get there, and I become their benefactor, kind of.
4. What’s your favorite quote?
I really like this quote that someone said at senate last week. Dr. Schubert from the Experimental College was presenting on why we should keep the Experimental College around and he said “Education, in its most profound sense, is personal growth.” I like a lot of quotes, I like a lot of things that people say, but I think I appreciate quotes that people come up with, something that you just hear off the top of someone’s head and you know that it’s like “wow.” It’s pretty amazing. So that’s my temporary quote, for like the week or two.
5. What advice would you give the 13-year-old you?
Don’t be scared, be vigilant. Embrace Davis your first quarter, because I didn’t really. And convince all your friends and all their parents to get their money out of the stock market because 2008 is going to be horrible for them. Hindsight’s always 20/20, but the experiences ultimately will mold you into who you are, so I wouldn’t really give any advice, do what you do. I’m pretty satisfied that I’ll figure out what I need to when adversity comes at this point.
6. If money were no object, what would you spend your life doing?
I’d want to be like a social worker, and then probably run nonprofits or something like that. Maybe run for Congress and see how that goes. But I’d definitely want to become a social worker for a couple years, especially in my 20s, and I think that that’s something that I can’t really focus on if I need to make money. Something very low income but something that can actually change people straight up.
7. What’s your most embarrassing moment?
There’s been a lot. At The Aggie debate last quarter, Senator Tal Topf came up to me and she spilled hot tea all over my pants, so I couldn’t stand up during the whole debate because my pants were soaked, and it was really embarrassing. So I was sitting there really awkwardly. It was really hot tea, and I had just gotten it, and it was a big cup.
8. What’s the best place in Davis to take a picture?
I like taking pictures. I think the Arb, nothing can top that. Especially the reflective properties of the water. In fall, there’s that one tree, I’m sure everyone knows it, where the leaves are just a perfect shade of yellow. So I’d say the Arboretum for sure.
9. What’s your favorite work of art?
I was a huge fan of The Great Gatsby, but now I feel like everybody is. I like A Separate Peace by John Knowles. It’s a really good coming-of-age novel that everyone should read in high school. It’s a story about two best friends, and they’re in a military academy on the East Coast during WWII. It’s about how friendship is affected, and how it can be molded at a young age. I think that that’s a very underrated and amazing book to read.
Dana Sever
Chairman of the Academic Affairs Commission, ASUCD
Major: political science
Second-year
1. What are you best at cooking?
I’m not a good cook at all. I would say I’m a better baker, does that count? I’m really good at making Muddy Buddies, that’s not really making anything but I’m very good at it. And cookies.
2. If you could make a magic potion to do anything, what would it do?
I think make people laugh, because I think a lot of times people are really uptight, so the magic potion would just make them laugh and make their day better.
3. What movie would you like your life to resemble?
I love Disney, preferably a Pixar movie. Ratatouille because in fall, I’m studying abroad, so I hope I can be like the little mouse that runs around Paris and has his adventures. So I guess I would like my life to be like Ratatouille come August this year.
4. What’s your favorite quote?
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” And it’s unknown who said it.
5. What advice would you give the 13-year-old you?
To enjoy the little things a lot more. Because the little things in life are the most important and often they go unappreciated, but they make a big difference.
6. If money were no object, what would you spend your life doing?
Travelling. Travelling and going to school. If I could do both at the same time I would. I would get every degree possible.
7. What is your most embarrassing moment?
I got in a bike accident last year with my roommate. And the guy who saw it happen rode by and laughed at me. So that was pretty embarrassing. And I hit my head really hard and he didn’t even ask if I was okay.
8. What’s the best place in Davis to take a picture?
The Arboretum, easily. I mean, everywhere in Davis is pretty, there’s a lot of good places, but the Arboretum for sure. Where the big pond-lake is, or the gazebo, because the colors are always changing and it’s so pretty there.
9. What’s your favorite work of art?
I recently went to Paris and Italy, so I saw a lot of art. I love all Degas pieces because I dance and he does artwork of ballerinas. So I would say any Degas dancer piece.
