Rajin Olson, junior in civil engineering, is the president of the Inter Residence Hall Association.

What is your favorite memory of college?

I love how easy it is to find and interact with people. I’m a very social person in general, and staying up late is always easier when there’s an entire residence hall doing the same thing with you.

What is your favorite thing about Iowa State or Ames?

CyRide. Also, the campus is gorgeous any time of the year.

Where is your favorite place to eat in town?

The Fighting Burrito; hands down. I probably go there an average of two times a week, always after midnight.

How was your freshman year?

It was last year, and it was awesome.

What was the most embarrassing moment of your freshman year? Did you make any silly freshman mistakes?

Hmm, well, my mom gave me a jar of quarters for laundry, and I showed up to do laundry with my jar, only to discover I needed CyCash instead. But that wasn’t very embarrassing, because nobody else really knew about it. Until now, that is.

What advice would you give to incoming students?

Find your balance. Don’t study too hard, but don’t blow it off either. Work hard, and have fun too.

When did you know what you wanted to do with your life? When did it click, when did learning become fun?

Even though I have a set major, I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. Learning has always been fun for me, as cliche as that sounds. I guess I owe that to my parents, they tricked me into learning at a very early age, masquerading it as fun and games.

How did you get where you are now in your career?

Well, I don’t really have a professional career. Within IRHA, I guess I just took a chance and went for it. Leadership in the university is all about confidence. You just have to go for it.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I chose to run for IRHA president because I had already been involved with IRHA as Martin Hall president during the previous year. I enjoyed my involvement with the organization, and I decided I wanted to further my leadership experiences at Iowa State. Next thing I knew, I was running for president, and soon after, I was lucky enough to be elected. The moral of the story is, if you want something, just go for it. The worst that can happen is failure, and even that isn’t very bad.

What was your proudest accomplishment of the last year?

Successfully creating ISU Bhangra. Starting a club is harder than it sounds, but it is definitely possible. It really helps to be passionate about what you are promoting.

What is your biggest goal for next year?

I want to discover more about myself. Learning some taekwondo would be cool too.