Spartans of UD: Taylor Rupp
Sep 9, 2020
Spartans of UD highlights what makes University of Dubuque special – the people who live, work, and study on campus.
Taylor Rupp, a senior philosophy and ethics major, is in his third year working as a student employee at Babka Bookstore.
1. What do you enjoy most about working at the Babka Bookstore?
“I enjoy the conversations I get to have with my bosses and the other students I work with. We have a fun little family at the Babka Bookstore. Another thing I like is how almost everyone stops by at some point to get their books downstairs or to get some merchandise upstairs. Working at the bookstore is a good way to get to chat with and get to know a lot of different people around campus.”
2. Do you have a favorite item at the bookstore?
“This is probably a boring answer, but I do like the books. I do a lot of reading myself, so I always find it interesting to see what different titles and authors students will be reading in their classes. At our merchandise store, I really like the pet clothes and accessories we have. I’m always excited when I see people buying those for their cats and dogs.”
3. How do you balance work and academics?
“The best way I have found to balance work and academics is once you figure out your work schedule, you should also make a regular schedule for what times you will do your homework every day. Make sure to dutifully stick to that homework schedule. Putting it off and telling yourself, ‘I’ll get it done later,’ is when you begin to not get it done at all.”
4. What advice do you have for your fellow Spartans?
“As someone who can get a little flustered sometimes by the prospect of big projects and papers, my advice is to just start working on them and writing them, even if you have no clue what you’re doing yet or how they will turn out. Once you start on them, the ideas will start flowing and coming together almost by themselves, which is way better than trying to figure out the whole thing beforehand and getting overwhelmed.”
5. Where is your favorite spot on campus? Why?
“I really like Alumni Hall and the courtyard area in front of it. The old chapel is a beautiful old building with a great traditional architectural style and on nice, sunny days it can be a very scenic spot. Also the Coachman Reading Room in the library is a good place to go when you need some quiet study time.”
