My World - Jacob Zimmer
The first week of freshman year, Jacob Zimmer
followed a fluffy panda suit through a crowd of new
students to a booth for SPU’s student-run online
radio station, KSPU. Weeks later, he was DJing his
own show: Pacific North Fresh, a mashup of Seattle
hip-hop artists complete with bios and personal
My World
stories. Fast forward three years and Jacob is KSPU’s
station manager, organizing large campus music
events (Pickwick came last year) and even a Drake vs.
Kanye cover concert. A business management major,
he’s also rebranded the KSPU blog with a new logo
featuring — you guessed it — a panda.
What’s it like getting started with the SPU mentoring program?
— Olivia Wallace, Castro Valley, California
I applied for the program with a list of potential industries and professions I was interested in. Program director Mark Oppenlander helped me learn more. I had a particular person in mind from the local music community who I wanted as my mentor; she wasn’t in SPU’s database, but Mark did all the leg work and got us linked up. My mentor, Christine, was a product manager for local hip-hop artists like Blue Scholars, The Physics, and Sam Lachow. I got to meet and work with her in a shared space in Purple Door Studio in Belltown. I was constantly around local and national talent who were recording and producing in the studio, many of whom I count as close friends today. Definitely apply; it’s a resource that’s unique to SPU and is invaluable!
Is it easy to get around town without a car?
— Derek Lee, San Dimas, California
Yes, it’s reasonably easy. I never owned a car during my years at SPU, but I always got where I needed to go. There’s a lot within walking, biking, and busing distance, as well as ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft for getting across town quickly. I definitely recommend a Car2Go membership (it allows you to drive the white and blue smart cars you’ll see around town for only $0.42 a minute). You’re also sure to have at least a few friends with cars who you can carpool with.
If you could pick a song to describe your experience at Seattle Pacific University, what would it be and why?
— Jozette Cortez, Kapolei, Hawaii
“One Tribe” by the Black Eyed Peas. I wouldn’t consider myself a Black Eyed Peas fan, but the song has special significance to me from when I lived on 5th West Ashton and our floor was known as “The Tribe.” The sophomores on our floor played the song at our freshman “initiation” and every floor event after. When I was a sophomore we continued the tradition, and it kind of became the theme of the floor.
How accessible are the Cascades and the outdoors? Is there an outdoor recreational club?
— Andrew Koning, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Everything is accessible. I went on a lot of hikes when I lived in the dorms, to places like Rattlesnake Ledge, Twin Falls, and Granite Mountain (my personal favorite), which are near Snoqualmie and North Bend off of I-90. Most hikes are less than an hour away by car. We have an Outdoor Recreational Program facility on campus with tons of high-quality gear for students to rent for cheap, as well as a trail expedition club called Sasquatch.