The Peak

SFSS Profile: 20 questions with Joe Zelezny

1. What is your favourite thing about SFU?

Meeting new people, making friends, and a lot of networking. I also like getting involved and applying the skills I’ve learned to the things I’m doing now.

2. What is your greatest achievement?

Getting to where I am today and all of the experiences that I’ve accumulated over the years, whether it’s winning this election [as treasurer] or studying abroad, just being able to do all of those things, and traveling a lot.

3. What is your guilty pleasure?

I like sleeping. Ice cream is also good.

4. Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

I don’t have any specific job in mind but I do want to be doing something that builds for the future, whether it’s being a diplomat or running a trade business. I do want to have a family. Nothing really specific, I don’t think it’s the right time to specify ‘I want to be working at the Bank of Montreal being their business manager.’

5. What was the last book you read?

Right now I’m reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

6. What was your most embarrassing moment?

Well, the typical embarrassing moment is when I try to convince people that I’m right about something and then it ends up being the complete opposite or wrong. It’s usually about stupid stuff, not serious things because that would be scary.

7. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would love to explore South America more. I’ve been to Brazil but I want to explore the Andes, Argentina, and Peru. I also want to explore South East Asia. I want to travel and experience different cultures. I’ve been around most of Europe and North America. Most people go to Hawaii or Mexico just to relax, but I’m up for the adventure, climbing mountains and stuff.

8. Name something people do not know about you.

I can breathe fire, speak Czech and Slovak fluently, and enough French to get by. I enjoy mountaineering. I also study network administration at BCIT. My first car was a Peugeot 306 hatchback, and I love photography.

9. What is your greatest fear?

Not living up to my potential and wasting my life.

10. What are you most grateful for?

Being fortunate enough to be going to school and living in Canada. I have a pretty decent life.

11. What is your biggest regret?

Not working hard enough in school because sometimes I just won’t care. The GPA could use a little help . . . . [However,] the mistakes I’ve made obviously have a negative aspect, but there’s always a lesson that comes out of it.

12. What is a saying or phrase that you often overuse?

‘No worries.’ I use it a lot in my gardening business. I say that to everything, especially when people need something.

13. What is your biggest pet peeve?

When people don’t use their turn signals when driving, and when they consistently drive in the left lane, especially on highways. The left lane is used for passing. Also, when people text and drive.

14. What is the most important thing you look for in a person of the opposite sex?

Being genuine, not boring, and being happy with life, which kind of translates into everything else.

15. What is the best date you’ve ever been on?

It was a daylong date in London, England, with my ex-girlfriend at the time. It was her birthday, we went on the London Eye, we did a tour of the city during the day, and we went to a nice restaurant in the evening . . . . We took the Metro and the tube, there was a little bit of everything.

16. If you could choose any five people to have an imaginary dinner with, who would they be?

Five of my closest friends.

17. Who do you admire the most?

My dad. He escaped from the Czech Republic during Communism . . . and with my mom, immigrated to Canada and basically came here with nothing. I would say that he’s accomplished a lot. He has an engineering firm that he’s been running for five years . . . and he’s done international work, among other things. He’s a respected expert in his field.

18. What is your life motto?

Live life to the fullest and whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities.

19. Finish this sentence: Student politicians are:

Exciting people.

20. What inspired you to start your own gardening business?

We have hedges around our house and I got an estimate on how much it would cost to cut them down. It cost more than a hedge-trimmer would have cost, so we got a hedge trimmer and it kind of expanded from there.