5 Things to Know: Jason Surmaceviz

No, it’s not Serve-a-Sandwich and yes, it’s pronounced just like it sounds. Junior Jason Surmaceviz found his “Heidel-home” the moment he went on a tour of campus. “It was down to a couple of colleges, but everyone was so friendly here and it felt like a big family,” says Jason, who put down his deposit at the end of the tour and never looked back. Today, he’s involved in a number of key positions behind the scenes, organizing and executing key events on campus.

Behind the scenes

As a practicum student and the student employee for the Office of Student Engagement, “I’m involved in a lot,” Jason says. “I see a lot more behind the scenes and see how Heidelberg works and how the clock ticks.” As the vice president of Berg Events Council this semester, he has his hand in all of the functions of the office, including HYPE. He has big responsibilities for making sure events running smoothly. Though he’s a psychology and political science double major, he’s getting valuable real-world experience for his planned career in event management or non-profits.

The links are calling

The Office of Student Engagement will seem weirdly quiet next semester, missing Jason’s familiar face when he serves a really cool internship in Florida. He’s heading to Orlando to serve as a marketing and logistics intern for the Hurricane Junior Golf Tournament. He’ll get to travel the country, go on tours and work on some big-name contracts. Again, great career experience but on a larger, more commercial platform!

Psych!

Constantly working around students actually led Jason to reconsider his original declared major of Biochemistry. He made the switch, during his first year on campus, to Psychology. "Working with people just really drew me to the human experience." Jason says he absolutely loves his new major, largely in part to faculty like Dr. Virginia Gregg. "She understands what we're going through as undergrads but yet still is able to hold us to high standards."

Veggie Burger, anyone?

Egg lover Jason has been a vegetarian for five years. With the vegan/vegetarian movement gaining steam, he thought timing would be good to launch a campus group with that theme. Just this week, Veggie Burgers gained Student Senate approval as a sanctioned student organization. Veggie Burgers is an advocacy and awareness group that will be planning hands-on events such as meals. “There’s a lot of interest now, and I’m aware that it can be a tough transition on your body, so we can be a resource and help with the process,” he says.

M*A*S*H

 The ’70s-early ’80s American war comedy-drama has always been a favorite of Jason’s. “I grew up watching M*A*S*H with my grandparents, and it’s still my go-to today,” he says. He’s particularly fond of the lovable, innocent and naive character Radar O’Reilly, mostly because of his quirkiness. “I relate to him in some aspects.” Jason so adores the character that he named his chameleon Radar. Once a 6-inch baby, Radar is now a fully grown 18-inch colorful lizard and Surmaceviz family pet.