September 4, 1998
Film, finance, and fun is the name of Dave Kondroik’s game
by Maureen King, advancement writer
If
you’ve worked at Loyola for more than three years, Dave Kondroik
probably knows a few things about you. In the last nine years he’s
been a student, a staff member, a graduate student, and even a postal
worker. “You’d be surprised what you can learn about people
when you sort their mail. And working behind a wall you see and hear a
lot,” Kondroik says with a laugh. These days Dave can be seen in
the front office of financial affairs. He’s the guy who’s always
there with a smile on his face.
Kondroik came to Loyola in 1989 at his father’s urging as he had designs on going to LSU. “My brother, Stephen, graduated from Loyola. So did my uncle, Louis Hauth. He threw javelin for Loyola in the 1950s. My father knew I would get a better education at Loyola,” he admits. He got a part-time job in the Loyola post office. “This was back in the days when Sam and J.D. ran the operation. They were a riot. I told them I was crazy about the movies and wanted to work on films when I finished school. Sam kept telling me that was fine, but that I should consider getting a background in business.”
Kondroik wasn’t interested in business, but he did stay busy. He finished his undergraduate degree in four years and was an active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon to boot. “Being a Sig Ep was a very positive experience. I obtained an internship at Universal Studios in Orlando through a fraternity connection and was able to live in the chapter house at the University of Central Florida that summer. It was a pivotal experience. That was when I discovered I did NOT want to work behind the scenes in production.” It was his senior year as a communications major, and he knew what he did not want to do. It was time to chart a new course. He wrote his first complete script that year under the tutelage of former Loyola professor Andy Horton and found a new direction.
He earned his undergraduate degree in May 1993 and began The Job Hunt. By that time he was managing the Cabra mail room. He heard about a full-time position in financial affairs as an accounting assistant and knew that would be a good place to learn something while he worked on his master’s degree. Kondroik notes, “Contrary to popular belief, we have a really good time in financial affairs. Jay Calamia has taught me a lot, and he has a great sense of humor. He’s proof you don’t have to be a bore to get the job done.”
Kondroik worked as Andy Horton’s assistant for the Aegean Institute, handling the finances and travel arrangements for the institute’s 1997 Greece tour/screen writing workshop. During the trip he was up at the crack of dawn, helping Horton with his classes and videotaping everything–working, learning, and having a good time.
Kondroik will graduate with a master’s in business administration this December. After graduation Kondroik plans to work in marketing or management and wants to settle where he has friends and family. “It’s weird; I thought about what Sam had said and here I am, getting a business background. My dream job, of course, is to be a screenwriter. I definitely feel like I’m on the right track. Andy Horton introduces me as a screenwriter–that’s really flattering.” Until he graduates, you can find Kondroik in financial affairs–working, learning and having a good time.