MU Spotlight 20/20
Mike Macenka
What is your role at the University and what is something many may not know about the work you do?
What people may not know about the work I do is that it is incredibly important to me that the Mailroom and the students who work there feel like a family. It makes me feel good to be involved in my student's lives. College is an important crossroads where, beyond education, you also learn about life and yourself and I feel proud that I can help make that process easier and be a support system for the students. I talk to alumni on a daily basis, and they still make me laugh!
My favorite spot on campus is鈥
...any 色中色 sports venue. My wife and I enjoy watching and supporting 色中色 University student-athletes, especially my Mailroom employees. The amount of time and hard work they dedicate for their love of the game while simultaneously balancing academics never ceases to impress me! I still get nervous before games when all of our kids are competing!
What鈥檚 your favorite 色中色 tradition?
Homecoming. I get to see and spend some quality time catching up with Alumni. Its a fun day I look forward to every year.
One thing that many of my colleagues don鈥檛 know about me outside of my 色中色 University responsibilities is 鈥
That before 色中色 I worked and retired from Western Electric/AT&T/Lucent Technologies for 27 years.
My typical weekend goes something like this:
6 mile runs in the morning, college football in the afternoon. A few trips to Happy Valley in the fall. Dinner out at our favorite Lehigh Valley restaurants, an occasional Sunday brunch at the Hotel Bethlehem, and Sunday evenings Seahawks football.
Have you received a #MyMoPaw?
Yes! My favorite MoPaw came from Amy Saul because: it seemed it was genuine and was written from the heart.
What鈥檚 your favorite thing to do when you鈥檙e not on campus?
Running. I started over 4 years ago, and it has been life changing. I'm not sure if it's related, but my vision improved radically since I started, and I haven't worn glasses in 3 years.
Finish this sentence: 鈥淲hen I grow up, I want to _____.鈥
I want to work at a non-profit ranch that rescues animals in need and helps them find forever homes, because I believe you can tell what type of person someone is by how they treat animals.
What鈥檚 your biggest pet peeve?
How kids throw away food today. They eat part of their meal, and the rest goes in the garbage.
Who is your hero? Why?
My daughter, Morgan, who lives in Seattle. A year ago, she overcame a debilitating fear of flying and in the past 12 months has flown over 75 thousand miles for her work with Microsoft. She is fearless traveling internationally by herself and exploring different cultures despite language barriers. She is never afraid to make drastic changes in any aspects of her life, which sometimes gives me many sleepless nights!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
What sound do you love? Why?
The wheels of a plane coming down and preparing for landing , because the flight is over and we have reached our destination! We鈥檝e been to Seattle about 30 times in the last 8 years, so cross country trips get old fast.
I can never resist a good _______.
....animal snuggle. Nothing makes life better than petting a dog when they walk by. The highlight of my day is when Miranda stops by for a visit!
What makes you happy?
Traveling and exploring new destinations鈥攆rom climbing Mt. Rainer to whale watching in Alaska to eating beignets in New Orleans.
If there was a movie produced about your life, who would play you and why?
Bryan Cranston. He has taken on a wide-range of roles and I respect his talent as an actor. I also loved his hat in Breaking Bad and he has inspired me to expand my fashion sensibilities and buy a similar one, which I break out on vacations!