Phillip Kong

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An Interview with Our Next Head Steward, Uche Ochuba, conducted by Phillip Kong.

 

• Are you excited to be Head Steward? What are you most excited about?

 

I feel like being in the position is definitely exciting, but just as when you take on anything new, I am definitely feeling nervous, but excited as well. I think what excites me most is to work with the people that will be on the Board of Stewards. I feel like we have a talented grade and I feel like we have a talented group of people that are going to be on the board this coming year. So I feel like I am excited to work with whatever that group turns out to be.

 

 

• How do you plan on following through with your promises?

 

So I would say the most important thing would be cooperation with the staff and administration. I mean, students definitely can’t do it alone, and alone, students don’t have much power. Or at least as much  power as it would take to accomplish such lofty goals. So I think working with the mentors of each of the Portfolio Stewards [is how I’ll follow through with my promises]. I think working with them is the only way to achieve goals. So as far as the methods, the only way to do that is by communicating with the teachers and the Portfolio Stewards.

 

 

• If you were a brick in a wall, where would you be and why?

 

I feel like I would just be another brick in the middle. Because I feel like I’m still just a normal guy. I mean, being elected, I don’t think it changed me too much. I’m still just a guy who goes to UCC. I’m not a cornerstone or a brick at the base. I feel like I’m just another person that goes here, so I’m in the middle.

 

 

• What is the best accomplishment of the past Board of Stewards?

 

I would say their best accomplishment is that next year we’re going to do some restructuring. I’m not sure how much of this I’m allowed to tell you, but there’s some restructuring going on so I expect that we will be able to get a lot more done because of how… You’ll see. But I expect that we are about to get a lot more done. I believe that we are going to have grade level reps, and there’s going to be a whole new structure so we are going to get a lot more done. So that is their greatest accomplishment.

 

 

• What is your first order of business as Head Steward?

 

First order of business is really simple. I think in order to gain momentum, we have to work on the small stuff first. So we’re just gonna have notes on meetings and they will be published so that everybody can see them. I feel like transparency is the wrong word to describe something like this. The board isn’t hiding anything and the administration isn’t hiding anything. I feel like the thing is communication. People aren’t made aware of what going on so I think that publishing the notes, sending people emails, and making announcements about what’s going on are the key thing that we’re going to do first.

 

 

• What song best describes you?

 

Uh, hmm. I feel like Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a classic song, I like that one a lot. Just because, not really in the lyrics, but the tempo changes a lot. And I feel like I have that kind of range and personality, not that I have mood swings or anything, but I feel that I can achieve different tasks in that way. I feel like I’m adaptable, and have a diverse kind of skill set in that way.

 

 

• What do you expect from the Portfolio Stewards and the rest of the board?

 

From the Portfolio Stewards, well, like I kinda said previously, I expect focus, I think that’s most important I think. Because if we’re not putting it as a priority, and if we treat the meetings as a joke, then nothing is going to get done, right? We have to view it as important, if we are ever gonna get anything from that. So Portfolio Stewards, I expect them to be focused, first of all, and I expect them to bring their ideas to the table as well.

 

 

• Which teacher has had the most profound impact on you and why?

 

I’ll say Mr. Bauld and Mr. Moon have had the most profound impact on me. I just talk to them both a lot. Definitely learned a lot of lessons from them and I enjoy being in their classes. That’s really it, I feel like there’s not much more to it. I just feel like just by being around them, I’ve learned a lot of different lessons.

 

 

• What is 37 x 37?

 

Huh. Ok. Uhh. That’s 900… 900 + 40… No. 30×7… So you have 900 right there… and 30×7… is uh… hmm… 210. So 900 + 210, 1110. Ok 37×37… Dang it.. Ok. Hmm ok 49… Ok 7×3… 21… 259… Ok gotta remember that… Ok 3×7… No… Yeah. Ok and 3×3, that’s 9.

 

Ok, that’s 1369.