Cornel Walton

Cornel Walton

When he first came to UT Dallas, Cornel Walton kept to himself.

“I was in my own zone, just going to school, going to work and back to the dorm,” Walton said.

That changed when he started working for the Multicultural Center. He became a Multicultural Peer Advocate (MPA), coordinating campus events for the center. His work put him in touch with student organizations. One thing kept leading to another.

Walton, who will graduate this week with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, took on leadership roles in the Black Student Alliance. He won first place in the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference’s (SBSLC) Charles E. Williams II Advanced Leadership Institute annual Oratorical Contest two years in a row.

He also discovered a passion for filmmaking. Walton created videos for the Multicultural Center and other organizations, including the Dallas Holocaust Museum. His video for Black History Month in 2015, “100 Years: Where Do We Go From Here,” won an award at UT Dallas’ Cosmic Film Festival.

“The Multicultural Center opened me up to so many different opportunities,” Walton said. “They opened my eyes to see how much more involved I could be on campus.”

Arthur Gregg, assistant vice president for Multicultural Affairs and the director of the Multicultural Center, said he was impressed from the start with the student from Wylie, Texas, his barber had asked him to look out for at UT Dallas.

This kid who came in and was really trying to find his voice and his place is now the voice of his peers. He represents the best of UTD to me.

Arthur Gregg,
assistant vice president for Multicultural Affairs and the director of the Multicultural Center

“This kid, who was a leader in his church and did all these wonderful things, found himself in a situation where he was a small fish in big pond,” Gregg said. “He was a little shy at first. We just kept talking to him.

“He started taking pictures and it evolved to film,” Gregg said. “When he created a film for Black History Month, everybody was wowed.”

Monica Williamson, assistant director of Student Success and Outreach, encouraged Walton to enter the SBSLC’s oratorical contest. She said that Walton’s preparation and detailed research gave him an edge.

“Cornel would meet in the Multicultural Center to practice in front of our staff to gain feedback on ways to improve. He would also utilize the other student leaders attending SBSLC to hear him practice and to welcome their feedback,” Williamson said. “He welcomed all of us into his competition, and in doing so he has encouraged other students to challenge themselves as he did.”

After graduation, Walton will finish an internship at Copart, where he is gaining experience in search engine optimization, social media, budgeting and reporting. He also wants to study film in graduate school.

Gregg said it’s “bittersweet” to see Walton graduate.

“This kid who came in and was really trying to find his voice and his place is now the voice of his peers,” Gregg said. “He represents the best of UTD to me.”