The Fordham community has been unaware, for almost four years now, of a celebrity presence on campus. CJ Cacace, yes, the CJ Cacace of Monroe, New York late-night infomercial fame, is among us. The business administration major graced the air on her hometown’s television screens with a cameo appearance after being cornered at a mall with her mother. This, however, is not CJ’s only claim to fame; the GSB senior is primed to leave quite an impression on our community.
As the vice president for the Fordham Rose Hill Residence Hall Association (RHA), CJ has championed many initiatives.
“I definitely hope that I brought some sort of community together through the different organizations and stuff that I’ve been a part of,” CJ said about the impact she hopes she has made at Fordham. She hopes that her positive energy has, “inspired someone to do something they might not otherwise have done.”
There is really no arguing about the lasting impression CJ has made. As a member of RHA, CJ played an integral role in Fordham’s fundraising of $41,522.02, well over the goal of $30,000 for the B+ Foundation. CJ was wary of her ability to spread her ferocious passion to others on campus, but the sizable contribution to the organization and the overall success of RHA’s efforts to bring our campus together, united for the cause that she clearly holds dear, is evidence of her infectious ambition.
CJ, in a way all too endearing, is quick to attribute her own success to those around her. CJ names Kimberly Russell, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, and Cody Arcuri, assistant director for Campus Center Operations, where CJ works, as pillars of invaluable support in everything she has accomplished at Fordham.
As busy as CJ might be with everything she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish in her remaining weeks at Fordham, she still finds time to enjoy aspects of Fordham that she believes sets the university apart from any other.
“I love exploring restaurants,” CJ said. “I had never had Ethiopian food or South African food.”
Her uninhibited interest in international cuisine and her desire to experience new restaurants comes from the value that she perpetuates in her everyday life, “I’ll try anything twice.”
When asked about her post-graduation plans, her curiosity and thirst for life spilled over into her explanation, “I’m passionate about many, many things and I’m struggling to find what I’m supposed to do.”
While CJ may feel that she is struggling, her passion for life and her drive to work alongside others indicate otherwise: this “struggle” for CJ seems to be her ability to assimilate and collaborate under any circumstances, forming her into a candidate for anything she wants to do.
While she doesn’t hesitate to share ownership of her successes with others she has worked with, CJ is a member of our community after whom so many of us could model ourselves. The advice that she would, retrospectively, give to the freshman-year-CJ of 2011? “Do everything.”
While this may bring a smile to the faces of those who have watched CJ throw herself into so many different passions over the past four years, she believes there are things she left unfinished or unexplored at Fordham and in New York City.
Don’t let her bubbly demeanor fool you, though. CJ may be able to make people smile and feel at ease, but she is also deliberate and extremely effective in everything that she has taken on. “People think that I don’t take things that seriously because I’m kind of loud about things or laughing a lot and maybe that I’m not ready to bring it to the next level,” CJ said, “But I am.”
In accordance with how CJ has conducted herself for four years as a member of our community, when asked if there was anything she would like me to add to her interview, CJ responded by thanking The Fordham Ram for donating the interview opportunity to the RHA auction. This column was auctioned to raise money for the B+ Foundation fundraising that CJ spearheaded along with her peers on RHA.
