A UMBC student with aspirations for sports marketing and cultural awareness highlights some of his favorite people and places to see.
What is your name, major, and year?
My name is Charles DeBow IV, a senior who is majoring in media and communication studies and minoring in american studies.
Where are you from (city, county, state)?
I am originally from Rockville in Montgomery County.
Who do you admire and why?
I admire both my parents and my grandfather. My parents made huge sacrifices for me up to this point in terms of affording me food, shelter, clothes and importantly education. My grandfather was one of the Tuskegee Airmen who was able to do his patriotic duty of serving America in a time when things were unequal. Against all odds, he maintained his dignity with relating to the white fighter pilots he flew with, and he proved that black pilots were just as good as the white pilots.
What is your career goal?
I am very fascinated with basketball, football and hockey. I aspire to own a sports marketing business out of any of these genres.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
If I could, I would change how people accept others from different ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs. People should be not so narrow-minded in getting to know other cultures because all are equally one in the human race.
Describe something about you that uniquely stands out.
I am a stickler for no nonsense because I am more pursuant in being successful aside from my other friends. There is a time to play and a time to work.
What do you like most about UMBC?
I mostly like how diverse the campus is because you meet people here that you normally would not meet. I like learning about new cultures and discussing my own with others, especially in finding employment and interacting with people unlike me.
What activities do you participate in on campus?
I am not necessarily active here other than playing on the ice hockey team, but I do like spending time with my friends either in the library or in the classroom. It makes the day go by faster.
Who is the celebrity you would like to meet; what would you do with him/her?
I would like to meet singer Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas from the 1990s R&B group TLC and get to know her journey to stardom.
What is/are your favorite thing(s) to do outside of UMBC?
I typically enjoy going out into adjacent D.C. and exploring the fun happenings for that night. I also enjoy listening to music, bowling and playing basketball in my spare time.
What is your favorite genre of television (comedy, competition, reality, etc.) and why?
I enjoy watching all of the aforementioned genres, stand-up from comedian Katt Williams for good ole laughs, Steve Harvey as host of game show Family Feud and the ratchet-ness from Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta on VH1.
What kind of music do you like?
I like music that is unique, so I am into hip-hop, R&B and jazz. I enjoy old-school R&B music like Ohio Players, Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown and others who make it funky!
If you met Dr. Hrabowski (UMBC President), what would you say to him?
If I met Dr. Hrabowski, I would request a meeting with him about how we could help improve the issues on campus that often get unaddressed.
Photo credit: provided by student Charles DeBow
