By Sarah Williams, Assistant Editor
Casually dressed for the in person interview in a button down black shirt and jeans, Jonny Islieb knows where he is at. Working four days a week while attending UMF full-time, as well as being a member of the Rugby team, Islieb leads a busy life.
Islieb talked about his active lifestyle and how he balances everything while remaining sane. “I’m in my fourth year, business economics,” he explained, “I’m interested in helping small and local businesses compete on a larger scale so they have more room for growth in their community.” Said Islieb, “Right now I am in Managerial Economics. It’s a senior class it’s pretty intense. I do about 2-3 hours studying per night for my classes.” Islieb went on to talk about a philosophy class he is taking which turned out to be quite interesting for him. “We are talking about the difference between science and religion and social context.”
Living off campus with roommates, Islieb also works at U.S.Cellular part time as a retail sales associate. “I started there in July, after working at The Roost, a local pub, for a little over a year. I’m a sales consultant. I love my job.” He expanded saying, “It’s definitely difficult getting into a routine with work and school, but once you get a schedule it’s easy to manage.” He admitted that last semester he did work full time and it took away from his being able to play rugby. “So I’m excited to take more days off and get back into the sport,” he said enthusiastically.
”I play rugby, this will be my fourth season playing. A few guys recruited me and I went to some of the practices and I fell in love with it.” Islieb said they meet a few times per week and have two tournaments this coming Spring. They are The Maine Cup in Portland sometime in May, and Beast of the East, April 22 and 23 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. “I play fourteen, which is the wing.” He said rugby is like a mixture of football and soccer with the physical aspects of football but the nonstop pace of soccer. Islieb then echoed a famous quote by Winston Churchill, “Rugby, a hooligans sport played by gentlemen.”
“I grew up in Willimantic, Connecticut. I went to a really small public school where I played basketball and I was in a band for awhile playing guitar a few years.” Islieb went on saying he played punk rock, and that he still played guitar as well as piano.
Islieb has big plans for the future. “Eventually I want to move out west and start my own business someday. I want to explore and see what the country has to offer.” He explained that he had been to California when he was younger and liked it. “I want to start a fitness center and a recording studio.” In his free time he likes to play music. On a final note he mentioned his favorite eats. “Burritos and breakfast sandwiches, l live off them.”