When the alarm sounds at 6:33 a.m., Mr. Michael Budniak is jolted awake, and it’s safe to say is not ready to start the day. Mr. Budniak describes waking up early as “Obscene. Horrible. Miserable.” as he sees no point in getting up before the sun rises. Throughout our interview, Mr. Budniak put a huge emphasis on how much he isn’t a morning person. “There is no possible reason, unless you live on a farm, that any human being needs to be up that … early.”
As the alarm continues to go off, Budniak immediately goes into autopilot. He makes sure to prep everything the night before so the morning process is as painless as possible. After taking a quick swig of coffee – “If not for coffee, death and mayhem would occur”- he begins his trip to Trinity now ready to seize the day.
By the time his students arrive to advising, he is already being bombarded with an overwhelming number of tasks: From helping his AP Biology students to answering questions about service projects, Mr. Budniak is forced to hit the ground running from minute one. But it doesn’t stop there: After the advising period, Budniak jumps into his three classes every day. For those who don’t know, Budniak’s teaching style is highly interactive and resembles more of a seminar or open forum than anything else.
“I love it when you guys teach me stuff,” he said, emphasizing that education should never be a one-way street. His class periods often act as an open Q&A session where the topics may vary anywhere from medical advancements to why a student’s hand is triple jointed… nothing is off limits. Mr. Budniak finds that a student’s curiosity is a big part of their overall success. “Having a degree of interest and fascination and wanting to share something—that’s the ultimate of what students are all about.”
Once the school day ends, Mr. Budniak divides his time between grading and his other hobbies including woodworking and community service. “The work must come first,” he says, always trying to get grades in as quickly as possible. But after the schoolwork is done, he might shift gears into one of his hands-on projects. These include electrical work all the way to drywall installations. Most notably, he’s single-handedly built an entire addition onto his house, including a 25-foot screened-in porch.
But beyond his home improvement projects, Mr. Budniak likes to involve himself in community service as his way of giving back. He does this by ringing the Salvation Army bell around Christmas or participating in one of the many charity events put on by the Key Club. But even beyond charity, another one of Mr. Budniak’s interests lies in traveling the world. “There’s so many places I still want to see and experience before I shuffle off this mortal coil,” he reflects.
In conclusion, whether Mr. Budniak’s inspiring students in the classroom or taking his talents to the world of home improvement, it’s clear that his impact goes way beyond the field of Biology. With all his dedication to the community and to Trinity itself it’s clear why he will leave his mark as the legendary man who ruled over the 1st floor of Sheehan Hall.
