ON THE HILL
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Nothing Routine About It Hampden-Sydney senior Rakeem Walker ’20 has been inspired by, challenged by, and ultimately changed by the HampdenSydney brotherhood. The Record caught up with the Washington, DC, native last fall when he returned to campus after a semester of study in Provence, France—just one of the many opportunities Rakeem has taken advantage of during his time on the Hill.
You seem to be a fixture on campus—everyone knows you and your name is associated with a variety of H-SC organizations. Tell us about your campus involvement. I completed the Wilson Leadership Program my freshman year, I’ve been involved with Minority Student Union (MSU) since my sophomore year, I helped set up the Brother for Brother mentorship program, and I’ve always competed in intramural sports—but most people probably know me as the guy at the Tiger Inn, where I’ve worked since my freshman year. I’ve also worked in the computing center, fitness center, and at home football games; interned with the communications and marketing department; and served as a resident advisor. This year I’m president of MSU and head RA for Greek life, overseeing a staff of ten house managers.
Of all the roles you’ve played at H-SC, you say that serving as an RA in a freshman dorm was one of your favorites. Why? Mentorship. One of my passions is helping people, especially younger guys. I was fortunate to have a lot of people mentor me throughout the years, so I always wanted to do the same for others if I got the opportunity. I was nervous when I was assigned to freshmen, though, because it’s a lot of responsibility—for many of them, it’s their first time away from home, first time at an all-male institution, plus Hampden-Sydney isn’t an easy place, academically! My goal was to make our floor like a family, and I think we succeeded. At the end of the day, brothers always come together and support each other, and that’s exactly what we did.
We hear a lot about the Hampden-Sydney alumni network, which is consistently ranked one of the best in the nation. Did you benefit from that network as a Hampden-Sydney student? Absolutely. I’ve had two internship experiences with alumni: I spent the summer of 2018 at the corporate office of Thompson Hospitality in Reston, where I met daily with the retail division director of finance, shadowed with general managers of the company’s restaurants, and met several times with company founder Warren Thompson ’81. It was an awesome experience. Last summer I was a risk management intern at the Federal Home Loan Bank Office of Finance, where Nico Correa ’19 had interned the previous summer with Jonathan Hartley ’97. I worked on projects to help the bank be more proactive with its partners in the capital markets, so I got to work with Bloomberg and expand my Excel and presentation skills. I also led the internship committee and was selected to organize a diversity fair. We all come to Hampden-Sydney for one thing: the network. But networking is not a magic trick; you have to go out and do the work. Nicco did his part—and I appreciate that he put in a good word for me—but I also had to do my part with the resume, GPA, and interview.
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THE RECORD of HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE SPRING 2020