The Dearborn Icebreaker is a new Reporter feature designed to help us get to know our UM-Dearborn colleagues.
Name: Ron Labao
Position: Senior web applications developer
What does a typical work day look like for you?
My workday is a common blend of operating a computer and attending meetings. To someone walking by my office, I often appear to be motionless, frowning behind a giant computer screen. In meetings, I try to assume the same position, behind a smaller, laptop screen. I can also be seen pacing around campus, likely heading to or from my office or a meeting, staring at a mobile phone screen.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
As part of the campus digital team, my job centers around web sites and web technologies. This sort of work is a natural fit for me. My brain likes to sort, classify and simplify, and I like working with and thinking about user interfaces. I enjoy that my role here at the university involves aspects of software engineering, data analysis and graphic design. Currently, we're working on a major redesign of the campus website, a new content management system and web projects for various units.
What was your first job?
Like many teenagers, my first paying gig was at a popular fast food chain; this one sold roast beef sandwiches. Originally, I worked until closing a few days a week, but my parents didn't like the late hours. Instead, I was scheduled for two hour shifts on Saturdays at lunch time. My weekly check was around 7 dollars, which they cashed for me. I then used the money to buy roast beef sandwiches.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
For a while I was in the campus theatre group and had some minor roles in a few plays: a judge in The Crucible, a doctor in The Importance of Being Earnest and a duke in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Thankfully, this all happened before the era of YouTube.
What do you do to relax?
I like driving In slow traffic on a dreary Monday morning commute -- not so much. On an open highway, on a clear day or night, torque can be very relaxing.
(For a great Michigan scenic drive, head north to Harbor Springs and take the 21-mile route through the Tunnel of Trees to Cross Village.)
What’s your definition of a life well lived?
Waking up each day with something to look forward to, whether it's pushing onward in your life's work, or something good going on this weekend, or the company of the ones close to you.
What’s the proudest moment of your life?
It's hard to say -- I had trouble thinking of anything in particular that I'm actually proud of! The list is short, mostly uninteresting and hopefully incomplete. Some years ago, I volunteered in a house-building project in the Philippines, organized by Habitat for Humanity. We were assigned to a small village in the province of Cavite. The construction was done with hollow cement blocks. Since I know more about building home pages than actual homes, the foremen had me mix cement instead. My days were spent hauling bags of concrete mix on my head up a hill, fetching water for mixing, shoveling the mortar into buckets, and helping lay the blocks into place. I had never worked so hard in my life. At the end of the project when we presented the homes to their new owners, I had the volunteers chip in, and we bought Habitat for Humanity a cement mixer to use on future builds.
If we were to create a UM-Dearborn playlist, what song would you want to include?
"Why Does The Sun Shine?", They Might Be Giants
If someone handed you a $100 bill, what would you do with it?
Examine the bill, stare at the person and wonder what the catch is. The money would stay in my wallet for some time while I plotted its destiny. My web history would accumulate a lot of Amazon pages. Eventually, I'd probably use it on drinks for friends somewhere, having never decided on what I wanted.
What advice would you give to this year’s graduating class?
Giving (or taking) advice isn't one of my strong suits. Be positive, get enough sleep and wear comfortable shoes. And keep an eye out for someone around here giving out free $100 bills.
