A broadcast digital journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and spanish minor, Charlie Zeeve ’22 plays an important role in educating students on blockchain as the secretary of the new Crypto ‘Cuse club. While Zeeve might not strike you as a crypto junkie, this only speaks to the larger aspects of the cryptocurrency market which makes the field so intriguing. You don’t need a tech or finance background to succeed in the market. All you need is passion and curiosity.
Zeeve, an avid sports fan with ambitions of becoming a sports journalist, wanted to expand his portfolio of expertise beyond the realm of communications. After initially learning about the cryptocurrency market while in high school, Zeeve began familiarizing himself with the space and digging into smart contracts and NFT’s in 2019. Zeeve became more immersed in the market in 2020. Building upon his communications background and love for current events, he started scavenging the internet for crypto articles in order to better understand how the news will affect the market. What he finds most fascinating about this research is trying to piece together the overall psychology of the market.
Zeeve attributes a lot of the club’s early success to its president Catherine Forrest and vice president Zach Goldstein. After becoming more invested in the space, Zeeve joined the club this past summer and hit the ground running to help craft the club’s vision for this upcoming school year.
Nested at the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library, Crypto ‘Cuse educates Syracuse University students in cryptocurrency, DeFi, NFT’s, and blockchain. At the core, Crypto ‘Cuse makes investing in cryptocurrency easier to understand and more accessible to all students, no matter their experience. Through a series of workshops, lectures, and projects, Zeeve and the rest of the Crypto ‘Cuse e-board emphasize interactive experiences to get all members involved during meetings. Crypto ‘Cuse recently expanded into the world of NFT’s.
Through Crypto Kitties—a game centered around breedable and collectible NFT creatures—they created “Annabel the Crypto ‘Cuse Kitty” as a Crypto Cuse mascot. Annabel is based on a real cat who is part of the Crypto ‘Cuse family — industry advisor Phil McKnight and his dad, iSchool professor Lee McKnight. Annabel achieved icon status when Linda Hartsock, Crypto ‘Cuse advisor and director of the LaunchPad, cat-sat her for a few weeks, capturing her daily adventures on camera for the McKnight family and solidifying her cat celebrity status.
CryptoCuse provides resources to help students get started when building their crypto portfolios. On the club’s website, students can find in-depth instructions on how to set up a Meta Mask wallet. Meta Mask is a very fast and secure decentralized wallet. It allows you to buy things like NFT’s through the Ethereum network that you would not be able to purchase on other exchanges like Coinbase. A lot of club members use Meta Mask and love it.
Fascinated by the future of cryptocurrency exchanges and DeFi, Zeeve is eager to see how society will react to the further integration of blockchain in the future. He is most curious about the influence that China will have on the cryptocurrency market through laws and regulations. Zeeve believes that, while there will always be setbacks in the space—whether a specific coin or the overall market—cryptocurrency is here to stay and will continue to increase in importance.
While the club does not give financial advice, Zeeve stressed long-term growth and avoiding the craze around short-term gains. The club likes to say that “this is an accumulation game.”
If you’re new to the crypto landscape, Zeeve recommends a few different places to get yourself more familiar with the space. He strongly suggests reading various newspapers such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes to gain a firmer understanding of the broader markets. Coindesk.com is a great resource for crypto-specific resources, articles, and current events. However, above all, Zeeve says that students can do a lot of their initial learning through YouTube. Some YouTubers such as Coinskid—who has over 230,000 subscribers—provide in-depth technical analysis.
You might also find yourself overwhelmed by the many coins available for purchase. Zeeve mentioned that some coins to look out for include Cardano, Maddick (Polygon), and Helium. He also mentioned that XRP has potential, but proceed with caution when looking at this coin as it is not available for purchase on Coinbase and other exchanges due to recent fraud allegations by the SEC.
Zeeve praised Hartsock for her help throughout this process of launching Crypto ‘Cuse. She has been instrumental in many ways such as assisting with industry and alumni connections, outreach and creating awareness for the club.
Zeeve cannot wait to see what awaits Crypto ‘Cuse in the future, and big things are already on the horizon for the club. Zeeve stresses that, no matter your background, Crypto ‘Cuse welcomes all students as the club places an emphasis on networking within the space and fostering a collaborative learning community.
Crypto ‘Cuse meets each Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library and new members are always welcome.
Use the scan code below to join.
Story by Selim Dangoor ’23, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photo supplied