By Leah Cordova, Staff Writer

Paul Senica is an undergraduate civil engineering major. On one of his favorite days of the year (a snowy day) we got to chat about his love for snowboarding.

Have you gone snowboarding yet this year?

I’m going this weekend! Tomorrow and Friday, I’ll be at Mountain Creek. It’s like 15 minutes away.

Is this the first trip of 2016?

I actually went last Saturday for a competition.

When did you realize this was something you wanted to dedicate your time to?

So I started snowboarding when I was around 6 or 7, but of course skiing came first because that’s what everyone did. I had to beg my mom to let me try snowboarding. When I did, I was hooked. I wasn’t great at first but started to improve after a trip I went on with some family friends. They invited me out west to Utah and all I had to pay for was airfare. That was probably the biggest trip I had ever been on.

Utah is pretty cool, did you ever go back?

I planned to go there for college, but then got to thinking about school and realized I wouldn’t really focus there. When I came back to New York after the trip, snowboarding wasn’t the same. So I got really into park – basically jumps and rails and stuff. Up here is known as the ‘ice coast,’ so it’s all ice and not as fun to just simply ride.

What was the first advanced trick you learned? And what is your favorite one?

I landed a backflip for the first time in Oregon. I found out about a snowboarding camp there about 5 years ago and was very set on going. It was my birthday / Christmas present and I went the summer of my junior year in high school. Before going, they asked me what tricks I wanted to learn and placed us into groups according to what we said. I also think rainbow rails are fun and practicing tricks on my trampoline.

Dream place to visit for snowboarding?

Lake Tahoe, California. But California is the perfect place to go for any sport: snowboard up north, wakeboard on the lakes in the summer, surf, you can do anything over there.

It’s been a pleasure to work with Paul in the admissions office since 2014. He will graduate this Spring, and will continue his studies as a Jasper grad student next fall.