All Jay Flippen wants is to have a high paying job he enjoys so he can avoid money problems. After achieving a perfect SAT math score and currently pursuing an engineering degree at Virginia Tech, it looks like that will not be a problem.

James “Jay” Howard Flippen was born in Norfolk, Virginia on August 3, 1988, and spent his whole life there living with his mother and sister. Since Jay and his sister grew up together, they have a close relationship, however he tries to distance himself from her. “She’s very intrusive and always wants to know everything about my personal life. We are close, but I don’t tell her everything.”

Despite trying to distance himself from her, his mother feel’s that spending time with his sister has helped Jay grow into the person he is today. “Jay matured over the years at an average pace but had some extra prodding from his sister.” Said Barbara.

Ed Whelan, one of Jays friends said he felt Jay’s determination to learn on his is one of his best attributes. “Jay likes to distance himself from people. He is very independent and usually likes to do things on his own.” Said Ed.

During his free time when not spending time with his family, he usually enjoys activities with friends, whether it is playing Monday night pong, skateboarding, or playing Halo 3. When Jay wants to enjoy himself and relax he feels good food and sleep are essential, and one of these comfort foods happens to be his homemade dip that he makes which consists of veggie dip, sour cream, Tabasco, and chili powder.

Jay will usually eat anything since he feels good food is extremely important, however when it comes to food, his mother feels there is one thing that distinguishes Jay from every other college student “He is the ONLY college kid ever, in all of history, that doesn’t eat pizza.” Said Barbara.

“I love just chilling, and having good food, and watching TV.” Jay loves to just sit back and unwind when he is not out biking, playing soccer, or hanging out with friends, and he does this by watching the history channel, and the discovery channel.

Ed described Jay as adventurous and confident, He said, “Jay’s a pretty outgoing person. I remember one time my band was playing at a party, and Jay came up and started playing along with the band even though he doesn’t play any instruments.”

When he is not effortlessly solving math problems or doing work, Jay likes to keep active with hobbies and sports. He usually spends time biking forty miles from his house to Norfolk, which he sees as one of his greatest accomplishments, as well as playing intramural soccer.

It is no surprise that Jay has a strong interest in physical activities and adventure. Even as a child, Jay was always interested in physical activities and having a good time. When asked to recall a fond memory about Jay, his mother said “Looking out the window and watching Jay ride the zip line and jump on the trampoline with his sister and neighborhood friends.”

Apart from his hobbies, Jay has a lot of pet peeves. “I am obsessed with hygiene. I can’t stand when people don’t shower or brush their teeth.” Other than hygiene, Jay dislikes people who are self-conscious or lack confidence. “I especially don’t like when people spend hours getting ready, but say they don’t care what others think.”

Other than the perfect score on the SAT math test, which helped him get into the engineering program, he has wanted to come to Virginia Tech since his second year in high school. “It was the best school I got in to. And I’ve wanted to go to tech since I was 10th grade.”

Although Jay has wanted to come to Virginia Tech for years, he feels the downside to the college is that the town is too small, and it just isn’t the same as Norfolk. “My hometown is ghetto, but it has a much more loose environment compared to Blacksburg. I also miss being near the water”

Jay participates in a number of clubs at Virginia Tech to keep himself active and entertained. He participates mountain biking, intramural soccer and has hopes for a future pong club in which he has already attempted to start with his friends.

Once he gets his engineering degree, Jay hopes to find an easy job he enjoys, but mainly one that pays well so that he doesn’t have to deal with money problems. “My mom used to have money problems when I was younger, so I just don’t want to deal with all that. Constantly stressing out over money is not a good way to live.” However, he does not know exactly what he wants to do with his career.

Jay says he is loving his experience at Tech, however he misses how high school was less work and much easier. “I also went to a private school so it was easier to do stuff, for example skip class whenever I wanted to, stuff like that.” Said Jay.

Although Jay misses a lot about his hometown, he would travel far away to any tropical place if he got the chance. When asked where he would like to travel in the future he said, “I would love to go cave diving in the Philippines and sail around the world. Or any place tropical like Fiji. Anything adventurous works for me.” He also wants visit Greece and then travel through the rest of Europe.

When asked the question, “What makes Jay unique?” his mother said, “Well, in my unbiased opinion - he's smart, musical, athletic, great looking and an all-around wonderful person! Solid Gold.”

Word Count: 968 By Aaron Drew