Kyle Strubeck, Class of 2023

Senior Kyle Strubeck came to Moravian a little unsure of himself. The university’s warm and supportive community provided just the right environment for him to gain the confidence he needed to explore a wealth of opportunities on his path to self-discovery.

What is your major or academic interest and what drew you to it?

I chose my two majors because I was planning on going to law school. I am majoring in English and economics, and I chose them strategically—the English major for writing skills and application and the economics major because I wanted to practice business law. That dream, however, is long gone, and the purposes for my majors have changed. I fell in love with English because of the poetry and the ability to communicate and economics (on a theory/policy track) because of the deep-thinking topics that keep me engaged. To me, economics seems to apply to all areas of life in a way that no other discipline does. The further I study, the more I believe economics is the study of all the social sciences, with financial issues as a side topic. At this point in my life, I still do not know my true calling, but I am planning on following my undergraduate degree with an MBA and going from there.

What activities are you involved in?

I am fairly involved on campus, to the point where if you were to ask me in person, I would likely forget one or two things. Currently, I serve as the president of United Student Government (USG), and I am the resident advisor of Inner Spangenberg (three years strong). I work as a HUB desk manager, and I am a student alumni representative as part of the STARs program and a writing fellow for a First-Year Writing Seminar class. Those are the roles where I have learned the importance of paying it back to the community.

I am also a member of the fraternity Omicron Gamma Omega, Phi Alpha Delta (a law fraternity), and Sigma Tau Delta (English honor society). In these organizations I have learned the importance of philanthropy and academics.

I take jazz voice lessons with the amazing Najwa Parkins and sing in the vocal jazz ensemble. I am also the worship leader of a Moravian University Christian Bible Study group, and I run fresh produce from the local Monocacy Farm Project to Moravian every Friday for Mo’s Cupboard. I truly enjoy everything on my plate and am grateful for the many opportunities I have had.

What have you learned about yourself during your time at Moravian?

The environment at Moravian University is a breeding ground for distinguished students who didn’t know they “had it in them.” I was one of those students when I first came here. I wasn’t involved other than in my social fraternity, OGO, until my sophomore year when I became a resident advisor in the fall semester and president of the Inter-Fraternity Council in the spring. From there, opportunities arose, and I took advantage of the tight-knit community that cheered me on.

In my senior year, I realized that I wanted to help others achieve their potential as well. As USG President, my main goal for our student representatives has been to build leaders who could make a difference and grow into a better version of themselves. I have seen our members grow over the past few months, and I am extremely proud of them.

At Moravian, I’ve come to believe in myself and apply myself to the best of my abilities. At other universities I may not have had the chance to really come into my own.

Tell us about one of the best experiences you’ve had at Moravian?

Winning Greek God and Goddess my sophomore year. I was relatively unknown to the Greek community because I joined OGO in the semester COVID-19 struck. The first semester back after the pandemic hit, I ran for Greek God and Goddess in part as a joke but also as a real talent. I hadn’t sung on stage professionally or even taken lessons for voice, although I knew I had a musical ear and good pitch. To cover up the nervousness of singing on stage, I chose a joke song, “Gary Come Home,” from SpongeBob SquarePants. I convinced my frat brother Nick Guerriere to sing with me. I would take the first verse, and he the second. We sang the backup vocals for each other—”Meow-wow-wow”—to fill in for a snail-cat.

I was very nervous to perform, but it went really well! I received lots of cheers when I sang the first verse and lots of laughs when Nick sang the snail-cat background vocal. The rest of the performance is a blur. I didn’t think that it was good enough to win Greek God, but I walked away with the crown! I have told this story whenever I have been asked to tell my best experience at Moravian, much to the dismay of my parents, but this night holds significant meaning for me. I have dreamed about being a performer my entire life, and this was my first step toward that dream.

Share something about yourself that may surprise people.

In the free time that I have, I spend it writing songs. My room is slightly catered to my music set-up. I have a microphone for recording vocals and audio, guitar stands for my acoustic and electric guitars, and a full-size keyboard. My saxophone hangs on for dear life from one of the guitar hooks. Along with all this equipment, I have a digital-audio processor, a midi-keyboard with drum pads, and an amp. I can record almost anything. Anytime I felt overwhelmed or angry or upset or extra happy or excited about something in my life, I try to write a song about it. Music continues to be the best coping mechanism for me. I have been wanting to write a cohesive, story-telling album since my sophomore year, but I haven’t had the chance. Maybe that will come to fruition soon.

Who inspires you? Why?

My mom inspires me nearly every day to be a better version of myself. Looking back on my childhood, I can see that she sacrificed some of her career to be at home with me and my sister when we were young. My mom always put family first, and sometimes that meant she wasn’t able to do everything she wanted. She always supported activities that would help me grow, such as my obsession with reading books or my participation in baseball, soccer, and swimming teams or my greatest passion in life—music.

I loved Boston sports since the 2007 Patriots season, and my mom became a fan through me. Today, she is more of a Tom Brady fan than I am. She took me to Celtics playoff games on my birthday twice in the past five years, and I don’t know whether those trips were for me or her! Those Boston trips are my most treasured memories.

Things have not always been easy or come as second nature to me, but my mom taught me to have grit and determination, to always be better, to fall forward. Kristie Strubeck is my greatest critic and my number one fan. For that, I am eternally grateful.

What is the best advice you have ever received or a quote that stays with you?

The best advice that I ever received was a saying that my mom passed down to me from my grandfather, “Work hard, play hard, but don’t mix the two.” That has stayed with me and inspired me to always put 100 percent of myself into everything I do and never hold back my potential. I rarely play a game at 50 percent. Whether it be intramurals or backyard football, I will be sweating and tired by the end of it. I’ve added to my grandfather’s saying: “Work hard, play hard, don’t mix the two. Love hard, pray hard, don’t forget those too.” I believe people should put just as much effort into their family and loved ones as they do their career. The people that love us deserve it. Put enough work into yourself that you can love people to the best of your ability and sacrifice your wants for their needs. As for the final piece of the saying, my faith has been the heartbeat of my hope and love these last couple years, and it’s important to me to pass that on.