The WPI Pep Band
I did not sleep with that Pep Band!™Contact Us
Officer Board - pepoff@wpi.edu
| Name | Board Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Nicastro | Head Drum Major | mjnicastro@wpi.edu |
| Adam Bartlett | Assistant Drum Major | abartlett@wpi.edu |
| Martin Runquist | Assistant Drum Major | mbrunquist@wpi.edu |
| Katie Rodriguez | President | krrodrigeuz@wpi.edu |
| Emily Jordan | Vice President | ekjorden@wpi.edu |
| Caylee Butler | Treasurer | crbuler@wpi.edu |
| Alyssa Tepe | Membership Coordinator | artepe@wpi.edu |
| Danny Marsh | Secretary | dpmarsh@wpi.edu |
Meet the Officer Board
Name: Matt Nicastro
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class year: 2022
Position: Head Drum Major
Section/instrument: Hands (formerly Baritone)
Favorite color: Green
Favorite tree: Aspen trees because of the way that they are
What was your favorite WPI memory? Snowball fights outside of Alden after practice
What’s a fun fact about you? I like doing American Ninja Warrior training stuff and I can do a 16 foot warped wall
What other organizations are you involved in? Concert Band and Brass Ensemble
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? Peppermint because I don’t like actual peppers.
Anything else? Double bell euphoniums are cool!
Name: Adam Bartlett
Major: Civil Engineering
Class year: 2023
Position: Assistant Drum Major
Section/instrument: Trumpet
Favorite color: Turquoise
Favorite tree: Striped Maple
What was your favorite WPI memory? My first Band Camp! I had never marched before coming to WPI, and when the Pep Band embraced me and taught me the ways, I couldn’t have been happier to be part of this amazing community.
What’s a fun fact about you? I saw Rick Astley live in concert!
What other organizations are you involved in? Audiophiles A Capella, WPI Lens and Lights, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? I would have to be a bell pepper! I was in a choir in high school which I named the Luke-Warm Bell Peppers, so it is only fitting that I remain a bell pepper.
Anything Else? Have you heard of the new broom? It’s sweeping the nation.
Name: Martin Runquist
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Class year: 2022
Position: Assistant Drum Major
Section/instrument: Hands (Drum Major)
Favorite color: Red
Favorite tree: Hemlock Tree
What was your favorite WPI memory? Being able to put on a great performance at football halftimes this year!
What’s a fun fact about you? I can kind of play the accordion
What other organizations are you involved in? Concert Band and Brass Ensemble
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? I would be Pepper Potts because I love Tony Stark
Anything else?
Name: Katie Rodriguez
Major: Biochemistry and Biology/Biotechnology
Class year: 2022
Position: President
Section/instrument: Low Brass
Favorite color: Green
Favorite tree: Dogwood
What was your favorite WPI memory? Passing a box of Mini-Wheats around my 9 am chemistry class.
What’s a fun fact about you? I once marched a sousaphone and a trombone at the same time, it’s a long story.
What other organizations are you involved in? Occasionally the Student Alumni Society (SAS), and rarely Concert Band.
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? Apparently a poblano pepper because a buzzfeed quiz told me it and therefore it must be true.
Anything else? I’m really excited for this next marching season and to meet all of our new members!
Name: Emily Jorden
Major: Civil Engineering Major with a Business Minor
Class year: 2023
Position: Vice President
Section/instrument: Low Brass/Tenor Saxophone
Favorite color: Green on the Weekend, Red on Weekdays, Yellow on Exam Days
Favorite tree: Sugar Maple
What was your favorite WPI memory? My favorite memory so far at WPI was during Haunted Higgins House 2019 when I saw members of Low Brass coming through, ran out of the bushes and scared the heck out of everyone but Michael Joseph Dutchna Savrin who just stared at me.
What’s a fun fact about you? A fun fact about me is I am Rank 11 on Papa’s Taco Mia.
What other organizations are you involved in? I’m Secretary of WPI Jazz Groups and a member of Student Alumni Society and WPI Symphonic Association
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? I’m a Poblano pepper because (according to Buzzfeed) I’m “easy to get along with and have an extremely laid back attitude which makes for an interesting combination of reliability and spontaneity.”
Anything else? Tenor is the most versatile sax but bari is the most powerful.
Name: Caylee Butler
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class year: 2023
Position: Treasurer
Section/instrument: Pit/Front Ensemble for marching season, Clarinet for basketball season
Favorite color: Mint Green
Favorite tree: Concolor Fir (it’s a Christmas tree that smells like oranges)
What was your favorite WPI memory? One of my favorite memories at WPI has been blasting music with my roommates after a stressful day (but many pep band events are a close second!).
What’s a fun fact about you? A fun fact about me is I have a dog named Rocky (named after Rocket raccoon since his favorite toy was a stuffed raccoon as a puppy).
What other organizations are you involved in? In addition to pep band I’m also in concert band.
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? If I were any type of pepper I’d be a chili pepper because I’m always cold.
Anything else?
Name: Danny Marsh
Major: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering
Class year: 2022
Position: Secretary
Section/instrument: Outgoing section leader of the Clarinet section
Favorite color: Green
Favorite tree: Charter Oak tree because it is Connecticut’s small contribution to the Revolutionary War (look it up it’s actually pretty cool)!
What was your favorite WPI memory? My favorite memory at WPI was when the Pep Band sang “Happy Birthday” to me at one of our first drill rehearsals (08/29/2018), my roommates didn’t even know it was my birthday that day and honestly it meant the whole world to be welcomed by the whole band like that.
What’s a fun fact about you? A fun fact about me is that I am currently an Engineering Co-op at Nordson Medical, a contracting medical device company that helps bigger companies create catheters for a multitude of purposes.
What other organizations are you involved in? On campus, I am also the Entertainment Chair of Colleges Against Cancer, the Membership/PR Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Society, and a brother of Alpha Phi Omega the community service fraternity here at WPI.
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? If I were any pepper I’d be a Ghost Pepper because we spooky baby.
Anything Else? I am so incredibly excited to be an officer and to get to the represent the pep band this year.
Name: Alyssa Tepe
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class year: 2020
Position: Membership Coordinator
Section/instrument: Clarinet
Favorite color: Mint Green
Favorite tree: Willow
What was your favorite WPI memory? Pretty much anything when the members of the pep band are just goofing off together.
What’s a fun fact about you? I have five siblings.
What other organizations are you involved in? Society of Women Engineers, Concert Band
If you were any kind of pepper what kind would you be and why? Yellow bell pepper because I’m sweet and sunshine-y!
Anything Else?
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