Jake has always been a fan of satirical news magazine The Onion, so when he discovered The Leek, Commonwealth’s homage to that publication, as a ninth grader, he was charmed. But in this era of dwindling support for journalism, even student-run comedy newspapers are struggling, and The Leek disappeared for a couple years before Jake stepped in to revive it. But underneath the jokes is Jake’s genuine concern for current events, media polarization, and the imperative to help others. Keep reading to learn more about his work with The Leek and at Commonwealth more broadly, plus his pro tips for making sense of the news when it all starts to sound like satire.

Getting to Know You

What is bringing you joy right now? 

It's tech week, so the anticipation for the winter play [Big Love by Charles Mee] is nice. (The preparation, not so much.) Also, obviously, my [University of] Michigan commitment is pretty exciting. You know, going to a small school has been nice, but I'm interested in going to a big school for the opportunity to connect with many different kinds of people, plus it has a great nuclear engineering program. Thankfully, the major is pretty small, so it's still a lot like Commonwealth.

What are your favorite comfort foods? 

So my family makes Giebelhaus Potatoes, after my family name. You take potatoes, then you put onions, butter, and Lawry’s salt on them. Then you wrap them in tin foil, and you stick it on the grill. They're the best, most fatty thing I've ever had. 

What was/is your favorite class (at Commonwealth or elsewhere)? 

It’s hard to pick a favorite, honestly, because there've been so many fun classes. If I had to choose, it would probably be either [Computer Science] Essentials with Mr. Gold—because that was a very fun class, and it was just good to learn a little bit of Python and Scratch—or U.S. History with Ms. Haber. That's always an amazing class. She is a great teacher, and she really stoked my passion for history and politics. 

When do you feel the most enjoyably challenged?

I like solving long problems where I know what to do, like double derivatives. I find the ability to work through something diligently to be much more enjoyable than questions that try to trick you. 

What never fails to make you laugh?

A good pun. I'm also the one laughing hardest at my own puns. 

What are people most surprised to learn about you?

I've had a lot of people tell me that my print handwriting is absolutely terrible, but I have very good cursive handwriting.

Pen or pencil? 

Pencil. Like I said: bad handwriting. 

Coffee or tea?

I'm more of a chocolate milk kind of guy. 

Fall, winter, spring, or summer?

Fall, because winter is too cold, summer is too hot, spring has all the pollen, but fall is that perfect time. It's sweater weather.

Life as a Commonwealth Student (and Beyond)

What was your first impression of Commonwealth and how has it mapped to your experience?

Well, first coming into the building, I thought it was like a mini version of Oxford. The brownstone really sells that, and the student body here is really devoted. Commonwealth definitely lived up to the academic-rigor expectations, but the students weren’t as uptight as I thought they would be. Everyone's really welcoming and fun, and they're not always wrapped up in their studies in some corner. They're very interesting people who have a lot of different social hobbies. It creates a really nice community.

Using metrics besides grades, how do you define “success” in your classes?

Being able to help other people who are struggling in class is the most important thing; like, for example, in Calculus, I really take pride in being able to help my friends when they have a homework question or when I can take the lead we're all studying together. I think being a good community member involves looking at the coursework and saying, “Okay, who is good at this and who needs a little bit of help?” And it's always a mix, right? No one's good at everything. I'm good at math, but physics—not so much. So it's nice to get help from my friends who have already taken physics, and I'm happy to help other people when they're struggling with calculus and stuff. I think that exchange is what really makes a great community.

You revived The Leek, Commonwealth’s satirical newspaper, this year after a brief hiatus. What is running such a publication like these days? What is your process? And who are your comedy inspirations?

Yeah, with The Leek we’re trying to write absurdist comedy, and the world is constantly one upping us. 

I got into The Leek freshman year; I always thought the articles were super funny. Then The Leek shut down after those seniors graduated. Last year, I heard a couple people were interested in getting it back up and running, and I was like, “This is perfect for me to jump in and show the new generation of Commonwealth students this amazing tradition.” We've tried our hardest to bring that tradition back. It's definitely a challenge when everyone's so busy, but our finished product is very nice, and I think the student body really enjoys it, which is why I like to do it. 

We have a big document full of ideas scribbled in it. I imagine most of those articles won't come to fruition because they lose relevance with time. With absurdist comedy, when you find something super ironic, you just have to write it all out. It's a good creative outlet. 

As for inspirations, I think it's nice to borrow strategies from a lot of people, but you also need to develop your own style. I grew up watching a lot of Gabriel Iglesias and Trevor Noah. Weekend Update on SNL is also one of my favorite segments, as well as what Marcelo Hernandez is doing on SNL. Don McMillan is another one of my favorites; I like his utilization of PowerPoint presentations.

I've always liked The Onion growing up, so The Leek was a way to continue that passion. Especially in this age of misinformation, it's nice to know that the news is fake, instead of having to question it.

You also co-founded and run Commonwealth’s Current Events Club with Ms. Haber. Why is this such a group important, and what are you getting out of it?

I initially envisioned it as a place where Commonwealth students could really speak their minds about what's going on. We have a lot of clubs related to politics and current events, like Model UN and debate, but those are more about developing argumentative skills and not necessarily your policy positions. In those clubs, people have to come up with and argue for positions that aren't their own all the time, you know? 

I've been reading a lot about polarization and the need for open debates. I follow a lot of college organizations that work in that space—BridgeUSA is my favorite—and I wanted to start something like that here at Commonwealth to see what we could learn from each other. Commonwealth students really want to talk about these things, but it's hard to find a place to do it sometimes. It feels weird to bring up politics. Current Events Club has definitely turned into somewhere we can share what we've all heard on the news and inform each other. There isn’t much debate, but it’s still very valuable to understand what media other people consume and what everyone else is thinking. 

What's your advice for other students trying to make sense of all the information they're being bombarded with every day?

Pick one or two sources you can trust, and see if you can find one or two across the ideological spectrum. (There are a lot of sites that talk about news bias, like Ground News. If you want a really good, free newsletter, Tangle is one of my favorites.) For example, I read a lot of The Atlantic, which is more center-left. And then I read a bit of The Wall Street Journal, which leans center-right. I think that creates a good balance of views. There's also, of course, looking at raw facts and coming to your own conclusions. Go with your gut, based on your principles. 

How do you spend your time outside of Commonwealth?

Well, I'm a big gamer, so I spend a lot of time playing video games. I also like to do a lot of research on nuclear energy; that's my passion and my college major. Obviously, hanging out with my family and my cat, Squeakers, is a great thing to do as well. I also like to watch the Edmonton Oilers.

How has your Commonwealth experience colored the way you look at the world? How you plan for your future?

I'm hoping to go into nuclear engineering and work with nuclear power. It's just a good clean energy source. I actually had a calculus tutor who was training to become a nuclear submarine operator, and I thought that was super cool. So I did some more research into it, and I was like, “Wait a minute: this really is a budding industry, and these SMRs [Small Modular Reactors] will be good for powering AI data centers.” Everyone's looking for something that's a little more reliable than wind and solar but not as carbon intensive as coal and natural gas. Nuclear energy is filling that niche, and I'm hoping I'll be able to ride that wave. They've been saying we're going to have a nuclear renaissance for thirty years—but this is the time, trust me!

Commonwealth has definitely stoked that passion, just through how the school encourages you to pursue your interests. And I definitely picked up on the industry background noise through close reading—really paying attention to small details. That helped me find my college major, but Commonwealth also just has a great physics curriculum that made me feel confident in pursuing a STEM degree. Of course, calculus is also really helpful. And Project Week really allows us to pursue our passions. For example, for my senior project, I am working with a mentor from the Clean Air Task Force, and then I'm going to attend a conference at MIT about the future of nuclear power. 

What would you tell your ninth-grade self?

To start doing the plays earlier. I found that to be a really enjoyable experience, and I'm a little bit regretful that I only started junior year. I'd also tell him about the value of consistency, coming up with a schedule, and not worrying about taking on more, because then you burn out. Don't do that cycle! Keeping on a consistent path where you really know what to expect is a good way to achieve success. You want to push yourself but not too far, right?

What’s your advice for prospective students considering Commonwealth? 

I would really stress your curiosity in your application. Commonwealth is looking for students who are hungry to learn and take on more than what they have already. And so if you show [the admissions team] that—and that you're very kind and willing to work with other people—they’ll love you, I think. You need to understand that education isn't just for you: it's so you can also help other people with what you learn. 

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