Jack Manning

COL ’15
Age: 20
Hometown: Garden City, N.Y.
Major: Government and theology

What do you hope Georgetown will help you accomplish?
Obviously, you know, I want a job. But definitely education for me is most important, not necessarily the goal of getting to grad school or getting a job, but the process of learning and having fun and buying into the whole cura personalis Jesuit ideal.

What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Georgetown?
“Systematic Theology” with Fr. [Stephen] Fields. It’s a more philosophical approach to religion, mainly Christianity. I really do love theology and the integration with my major was really just a perfect fit. He’s really interesting too, and charismatic, which was great.

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
Definitely. My dad went here and my sister’s coming here, so there’s a family connection. And just everything here, my friends, everyone I have met has just been so interesting and awesome and worth getting to know.

What’s your greatest fear?
Failing. It’s always been ingrained in myself, and that’s probably why I got here. But that fear just always exists with everyone competing with each other, and seeing what your friends are up to and feeling like you’re a bit behind. But it’s OK.

What would you change about yourself? What’s the biggest change you’ve consciously made in your life and why?
Probably freshman year, I learned not to take myself too seriously. You come to college and you realize all this stuff is happening and you need to control it all and bad things happen and you take it personally, or good things happen and you take it too far. You have to not take yourself too seriously. Play a joke once in a while; lighten up.

Best and worst thing about Georgetown?
The best thing is probably just the whole package: the education, the people, extra curriculas, the basketball team which I love. Really just the whole experience has been great. The opportunities and the people you meet has been the most important for me. The worst is probably the competitive nature, the pressure that you put on yourself, at least for me.

Interview by Jess Kelham-Hohler