Spotlight - Sean

Name: Sean
Hometown: Fayetteville, NC
Majors:  History and Political Science

Sean Baker admits he never planned to attend Fayetteville State University. In fact, the E.E. Smith graduate never visited the thought or even the campus.  But when presented with a scholarship from the E.E. Smith Alumni Association, he seized the opportunity and since then has had no regrets.
“All of my friends that went to larger universities complain about how they feel lost. Fayetteville State is big enough to get the full college experience, but it’s small enough so that you can have a personal relationship with faculty and staff at all levels. It really is a family atmosphere here.”
Sean, a sophomore majoring in both history and political science, has taken full advantage of those close connections by staying involved in various projects and organizations. He is a founding member of Bronco Toastmasters, a charter member of the African and Caribbean Student Association, and a Honda Campus Allstar. Sean, a former member of ROTC, also is active in the Latin American Student Organization, Chosen Generation Ministries, and the Buccin’ Broncos. He sits on the Food Services Board, and the previous senator for the Freshman Class Council is now running for senator-at-large for the Student Government Association.
Of his stretched schedule, he said, “I have a firm belief that when you go to sleep at night, you should be dead tired. How dare I not take advantage of every second that is given to me? I know you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin, but you should always make it a point to be involved in a lot of things. When you sit in your dorm watching television, nothing advances, and you become complacent.  I want to see people actively making the world better.”
The aspiring ambassador has already launched his efforts in “making the world better.” Last year, he volunteered with GEAR UP to help at-risk students apply for college and scholarships through the “SHIP A CHANCE” initiative. Sean and other volunteers showed high schoolers step by step how to apply for scholarships once they were admitted into institutions of higher education. A first generation college student himself, he was proud to share, “We had a lot of success. A lot of them didn’t even think they could go to college, so they were just ecstatic to find out they were even going to college.”
It is obvious that Sean prioritizes education, and although he has no immediate plans to teach, he hopes to contribute to the public school system in the future. He expressed, “When I retire from whatever God calls me to do, I want to teach.  When I was in school, I noticed there was a lack of African American male teachers, and it really made a difference when I had one.  I would love to go back to E.E. Smith and teach one day.”
When asked why he wishes to postpone his pursuit, he explained, “I would like to live a little first and gain knowledge and wisdom. Even though I had some great younger teachers, the older ones held my attention the best because they had life experience.”
But if fate has its way, anything could happen, particularly for a young man who never envisioned being a Bronco in the first place.  Once a little apprehensive about the college around the corner, Sean now sings a different tune, “I got wrapped up into Fayetteville State, and I just can’t leave ‘her’ alone.”