Nigel Hayes ’23 is a busy guy. He seems to be everywhere at once. When Hayes isn’t participating in Bargaining Committee meetings with other members of the Wesleyan Union of Student Employees (WesUSE) or working out ways to execute new initiatives as president of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA), he’s managing his responsibilities as a Resident Advisor (RA) in 200 Church and working hard in his senior classes. When Hayes sat down with The Argus over Zoom, he had just finished up track practice. It’s the off-season, but he makes sure to keep in shape throughout the year.

The Argus: You mentioned in your email that you felt surprised when you heard that you were nominated to be a WesCeleb. Why is that? 

Nigel Hayes: It still feels kind of strange. I feel like there’s a lot more interesting students who are doing a lot cooler things on campus, but at the same time, it’s kind of nice to throw some spotlight on some other things that are going on campus. I’ve been working with some people I know for a long time on some bigger projects, which is really cool. 

 A: What drew you to majoring in computer science and government?

NH:  When I was born, in my town at the time, there were a bunch of changes.  The elementary school I went to had only recently been built.  There were a lot of new initiatives and programs. Two of the things that they really focused on were getting computers and computer literacy done for us as elementary students.  

There were also some programs for learning about civics.  They were teaching us really early on about presidents and Mount Rushmore and U.S. History all the way from kindergarten through grade five. I also had my parents and they taught me a lot about the history of civil rights in the U.S. And that was a big thing, especially for my mom.  She didn’t want me to grow up not having that because I grew up in a predominantly white town. I kind of just fell in love with [civics]. 

I love tinkering so I fell in love with computers. I saw that even though, at the time, my parents and I didn’t have a lot of money, that once you get a computer in your lap, there’s so much more that you can do. It was this great equalizer to me. [In terms of Government], I saw that there were a bunch of students that I really looked up to who were doing all these great things and were leading these fantastic projects in our town.

A: Is there a way that your IDEAS minor fits into all of that?

NH: It fits in because I have an active imagination. My thought is if there’s a problem out there, you can pass laws to be able to change things but, at some point, you might need to build something with your hands. Someone has to go out and change or fix the problems at hand. So you need to have that duality. You can’t just sit there and write a lot and expect it all to be better. IDEAS is that bridge where you can come up with the idea. You can come up with a solution, but, in order to prove to people that it will work, sometimes you have to get your hands dirty and make something.

A: Are there any particular classes or professors who have significantly shaped your Wesleyan experience? 

NH: Oh, absolutely. Where to start? [Assistant Professor of Computer Science] Saray Shai. She has been fantastic. She removed a lot of my fears of entering the computer science major, especially without a strong math background. There’s also [Distinguished Professor of Computational Media in the College of Integrative Sciences] Christopher Weaver who has been a massive help in looking at the nerdier things that I’m into and showing that you can teach people with games using computer science. You can find ways to educate and talk to people through that medium of technology. 

One of my other professors is [Associate Professor of the Practice in East Asian Studies] Hyejoo Back. I studied Korean in my freshman and sophomore years. I was really stressed freshman year and she sat me down and got me to open up about being a Black student who’s existed in PWI [predominantly white institutions] for a long time. 

A: How do you feel that being a person of color, specifically a Black man, at Wesleyan specifically has affected your experience while you’ve been here? 

NH: One of the things that I think a lot of people of color on campus will understand is no matter what you do, there is a small feeling that you are always representing some other part of your community and that does not go away. When you walk around, in the way you talk, [and] the way you treat people, it’s not just you acting for yourself. For me, any interaction I’ve had, it’s always a reflection onto my family, my ancestors, my culture, the Black community, [and] the Caribbean community. So there’s this web of different people that are kind of carried with me.

A: You had to know this [question] was coming. What are you looking forward to as the WSA president? Are there goals that you have set out to achieve for this year? 

NH: There’s a few things we’re working towards this year. Wesleyan was invited to help build the global student government, an international organization of student governments around the world that have started to come together from Europe, East Asia, Africa, and, now, the U.S. to be able to focus on student rights across the globe. I’m excited to join, along with the other NESCAC schools. There’s [also] a lot of work to be done in terms of break housing to make sure that student housing continues to be secure and to continue working with students with those needs. 

A: You’re also on the Bargaining Committee for WesUSE, which is something I’m really excited about. I’m so grateful that [student employees] have a team of people who are sticking up for us in that way. Is there anything you’d wanna say about that?

NH: For people who aren’t familiar with the union, I’d say to anyone who’s in a different job space, to talk to your other workers, stand in solidarity with them. There’s always a way that we can build something better and it takes a whole group across all different professions and different cultural experiences to do so. I know that people might be tired, even apathetic to whether or not change is possible, but it is. If there is something that you believe in that should be at Wesleyan or beyond that, keep pushing for it, keep dreaming big, and don’t give up on it.

A: What legacy do you hope to leave behind when you graduate? 

NH: When I graduate in the spring, I want to have left Wesleyan as a community that looks at the administration knowing that it is not an ‘us versus them’ mentality [and] that we’re going to have disagreements, but we all want Wesleyan to win. I want the culture of Wesleyan to see that the dreams you might have had when you were young and the hare-brained ideas that you came up with with your friends are possible. 

A: Do you know your plans beyond Wesleyan?

Nigel: Well, once May hits, I’m expecting to sit around for a week and then hop into something new. One of the things I know I want [to do now] but didn’t know until I got [to Wesleyan] is that I want to go to graduate school. I’m trying to work to be the first person in my family history to get a PhD.

A: Do you have an idea of what you might be planning to specialize in? Is it more towards computer science or more towards the government side? 

NH: I think I’ll do something at the intersection. I’m thinking of cybersecurity or international politics or project management. I’m looking at some fellowships that other seniors have recommended.

A:. Is there any advice that you have for students coming behind you, especially the incoming first-years and prospective students?

NH: Yeah, I would say for the class of 2026, every day is an adventure and to take what you can in stride. The more problems you can face with a smile, the more problems you can face and still come out of it having learned something—even if all you learn is [that] you never wanna go through that again—that kind of mentality will get you very far. I’d say to prospective students that Wesleyan’s strongest thing is that every student you meet here has something to offer and, by the time you leave, you’ll find that you have something to offer and something to change and improve on. You don’t have to be the person leading the charges on new initiatives. You don’t have to be the person with the microphone in your hand, or on the soapbox. You just need to take one more step. That’s it. Take just one more step than you think that you can go. You’ll be impressed at what you’re able to pull off.

A: Do you have a fictional character that you identify with?

NH: I have a bunch! I love TV, movies, and anime. Miles Morales is one. Captain America too, specifically Sam Wilson—I see a lot of my family history in that [story]. Black Panther, T’Challa. From Caribbean culture, there’s Anansi. There are a lot more too.

A: Thanks so much for talking with me. Is there anything else you think you wanna add before we wrap up? 

NH: Take a breather. It’s going to be okay. It will work out, and there is always someone there to help. Even when you think that there is no chance someone can help, someone can. Take that one step in reaching out, if you can find the friend to push you to send that one email to CAPS [Counseling and Psychological Services] or your RA. Don’t suffer through what you’re going through alone.

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Sulan Bailey can be reached at sabailey@wesleyan.edu.