What is your job at Vanderbilt?

I work in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. I work to recruit, evaluate and enroll students in the undergraduate colleges. One of my specific responsibilities is the recruitment of international undergraduates.

To which city do you most like to travel for work?

Tokyo. It is such an overwhelming city, but once you master the subway system, you can go anywhere. And, the people were absolutely wonderful when I got on the wrong track.

How long have you worked at Vanderbilt?

I have worked here 14-and-a-half years.

Describe what you do in a typical day.

No such thing, which is why I enjoy my job. I may have a family from Asia, then Atlanta, then another visitor who is trying to understand the United States' system of higher education, then a phone call from a parent who asks, "What will my student's tuition bill be in 15 years?"

Where is your favorite place on Vanderbilt's campus?

The corner windows of my office because I get to see "Vanderbilt" walk past my office all day. Also, the picnic area outside West Side Row.

Describe your proudest moment, personally and
professionally.

Personally, the day we received the call about my first daughter (she's adopted) and the day that we discovered that my wife was pregnant with my second daughter. Professionally, it was when I saw a Vanderbilt student at the Black Graduates Recognition Ceremony. I had met her before she decided to attend Vanderbilt. She'd been told Vanderbilt was not a good place and that we'd try to undercut her chances for success. She'd had a very difficult time and was in and out of school. I had lost contact with her, but when I saw her at the Black Graduates Ceremony, I felt like a proud parent. She'd persisted and made it through all of her difficulties.

What is your most precious possession?

My children's love.

What words do you try to live by?

Don't let the things that you can't do interfere with the things you can.

What do people like best about you?

My sense of humor.

Name at least one guilty pleasure.

Giant Snicker Bar Blizzards from Dairy Queen.

-- Whitney Weeks

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