Few lives are busier than Senior Jamal Gaynor’s but I don’t believe he would want it any other way. The Sports Management major with career aspirations to be an athletic director has had a hell of a ride. Growing up in Yonkers, New York, Jamal was an avid sports fan and had a love for superheroes, especially Batman. It can be said he wanted to stand out from the start.

Kicked out of his first High School, Jamal was sent to Lincoln High School and was forced to be more studious because he simply didn’t know anybody. While being alone at Lincoln, his grades skyrocketed and before graduation he was approached about attending Southern Vermont College by his guidance counselor. It was there that Jamal learned about the Mountaineer Scholars Program; a program designed to help students with tuition, while encouraging them to stay in college, and Jamal was ready to take the risk. “I liked the school and the small environment; I wasn’t too sociable in high school so the small school was a great fit for me.”

Students like Jamal are the reason that the Mountaineer Scholars Program and programs similar at other schools continue to be funded. Since Jamal has stepped foot on campus he has been dedicated to becoming the best student and best person he can be. While splitting his time on the baseball team, Jamal is the President and Housing Chair of SGA, worked over the summer as an orientation leader, and holds a job at the Admissions Office as Campus Ambassador. Did I forget to mention that he also did an internship assisting the  Athletic Director at The Hoosac School. Instead of being worn down, Jamal embraces the jam-packed schedule. “Keeping myself busy helps me keep my time management skills in check, it’s better than sitting in my room having nothing to do, it’s actually really fun to stay busy.” The growing up process has been the biggest part to Jamal’s success, while becoming more mature, Jamal also credits Southern Vermont for helping him become more social, “ I’ve become way more social, I [used] to be quiet and only [used] to talk to a few people, but being involved on campus has helped me branch out to all different types of people and allowed me to communicate a lot better.” As for any advice to give to freshman or people wanting to get involved on campus, Jamal, with the calmness he always shows, simply says, “focus on the things you want to do, and if you want to do something put all your time and 100% effort into it.”