Spotlight on Chris O’Neill
Whether it is performing incredible stunts, making a student smile, or studying hard in the library, senior Chris O’Neill has always been an iconic figure on the campus of the University of Bridgeport.
Growing up in six different states including Arizona, California and Tennessee, O’Neill who is a Double Major in Mass Communications and Martial Arts was homeschooled before attending college. He also spent some time in his life growing up in Japan, which made him a more diverse person. The University of Bridgeport wasn’t his first option when it came to attending college because he looked into other schools that had is original intended major of East Asian Studies or Philosophy. Some of the schools that O’Neill looked at included University of North Carolina, Duke University and University of California, Berkeley.
“The only reason I came here [to UB] was for the martial arts,” O’Neill said. “It is the only one in the Western world.”
When O’Neill stepped on campus in the fall 2006, he remembers that he didn’t want to stay here at UB and he would give it two weeks before transferring out. It wasn’t until the middle of September of that year that he felt like he belonged on the campus with a simple walk to Seaside Park with a bunch of International students from Japan, Croatia and Jamaica.
During his time here at UB, O’Neill has been a very active person on campus. He has been a part of UBET [University of Bridgeport Event Team], a committee member of the International Festival and has acted as an Orientation Leader for the past three years.
Susan Katz, a Mass Communications Professor at UB, remembers O’Neill as a great student right off the bat.
“The first time I met him was in my Intro to Mass Communications class,” Katz said. “What an ace kid he was, participates, aced every test, and I was amazed by his creativity.”
As a student, O’Neill mentioned that his favorite class that he took here was entitled Media Ascetics that he took with Katz. The most influential professor that O’Neill had was Professor Jeffrey Johnson, the Director of the Music Program at UB who he had for Music in the Liberal Arts.
“To branch out to something that I am so completely unfamiliar with, music, and how he [Johnson] taught that course, was so welcoming towards me and was the best class I ever took,” O’Neill said. “For him to be able to get me inspired by music and into music, that’s a professor.”
During his free time, O’Neill enjoys what he calls free running and has also started his own form of martial arts called Tenshido. After graduation, he hopes to not limit himself just one direction he wants to head in. O’Neill has applied to Disney in Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong, China and hopes to work in the Entertainment business by performing stunts in different kinds of films or even modeling. Traveling is also another desire of his, as he would like to take the Trans Siberian Railroad from Moscow, Russia to Beijing, China and someday possibly visit Antarctica.
Senior, Mike Isgrig, who has known O’Neill the past two years, feels O’Neill has a lot to look forward to in the future.
“Chris has a lot going for him.” Isgrig said. “He has a lot of talent. I feel that if there is something he wants to do, he will accomplish it with flying colors.”
Katz ends it well by knowing that O’Neill is a rare person in this world and will have an impact wherever he decides to go.
“Anyone that is going work with him is going to truly fortunate because he [O’Neill] is one in a million and the whole package.” Katz said.
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