“Right now I’m just giving a hundred percent to the whole deejaything” may not be what you’re used to hearing from a student in theCampus Spotlight. But for Mike “Spynfo” Eagan, that is exactly whatlanded him in the spotlight.
“My parents wanted me to stay within the Catholic realm. Theybasically said, ‘You’ve been in Catholic school all this time, sowhy now would you want to go to public school,'” he said.
But little did his parents know that Eagan had beaten them tothe punch; he had already posed the same question to himself, butmore importantly had already answered it: He didn’t want to leavethe Catholic education.
Distance also played a major role in his college decisions. “Ireally didn’t care to go somewhere too far from my parents,” Eagansaid.
But in an attempt to escape the “fifth-year high school” theBronx native was set on definitely going to school outside of hisborough. And SJU was a natural choice for him. “St. John’s wasright in Queens, and they had dorms,” he said.
And now, the communications major is a senior preparing forgraduation.
So, that’s the genesis of Mike Eagan the college student: Hecame; he saw; and some may even say he conquered, but when didEagan become the DJ Spynfo we know today? Well, that story takes usback to the Bronx, for that is where he began his craft the summerbefore he began at SJU.
Like many DJs, Spynfo began really practicing his technique inhis basement. Spinning began as a hobby for him, but soon developedinto something more. He brought that enthusiasm to St. Johns – morespecifically Hollis Hall, Room 108 – and began to get theaccidental publicity that many performers would kill for.
“Brad from Haraya had heard me practicing, and he had me do openmics and things like that, which led to other exposure. Thendifferent people from various other organizations let me deejay fortheir parties and other events,” said Eagan.
All this happened his freshman year, and things could only getbetter. Beginning sophomore year, Eagan began his work inentertainment off-campus, with Georgetown, a local bar, setting thestage. “Yeah, that was my golden year,” he said.
Eagan’s work began to pick up when he started working in clubslike Speed, Mirage, Crystal, Latin Quarter, and different lounges.All the while, he was still faithful to SJU’s organizationalparties.
Despite his talent at the turntable, spinning is not what Eaganultimately wants to do as his career. In a sense, one can comparehim to an athlete who uses his or her talent with a ball to openother doors to some great career. With Eagan as a DJ, one can makesuch a comparison.
Fully immersing himself in the college scene and very aware ofmany of his peers’ concerns, Eagan has found a cause with which toalign himself.
“With the housing situation, there are going to be so many morepeople looking for housing, and there’s nothing but housing aroundhere. I’ve been searching and weaving my way through different realestate agencies, and the prices of houses around here areexpensive,” he said. “But I definitely have an interest inpurchasing property in this area because we have juniors andseniors that can’t come in from Brooklyn.”
Once a resident student, but forced to become a commuter, Eaganknows the plight of the “traveling student.” But such circumstanceshave made him passionate about his future goals of business andreal estate, for they are aimed towards college students andimproving that four to five year period of their lives with pureand simple fun.
As different as the world of DJ Spynfo may seem to studentspreparing for “traditional” careers in the work force, one can seethat maybe there are more than a few similarities to their modes ofoperations. Some of the key connections are those ofprofessionalism and networking, and even Eagan realizes that.
“Even I need to go to other places, other schools. People at St.John’s know me, but other schools may have only heard of me,” hesaid. To remedy this, he is currently working on a website topromote his image and any future business – and advises others todo the same.
For more information on Mike “DJ Spynfo,” Eagan visitwww.djspynfo.com.
Michael Eagan
AKA: DJ Spynfo
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Major: Communications
Minor: Business
Year: Senior
Current Involvement:
Campus and Citywide Disc Jockey
Aspiring Entrepreneur