Whether he’s scoring a one-handed touchdown in the homecoming game against Williams or tutoring students for economics class, Logan Tomlinson ’23 aims to leave a positive impact on everyone in his life. From being a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council to serving on the Student-Athletes of Color Leadership Council, Tomlinson truly cares about making his community the best it can be. He recently sat down with The Argus to talk about being a part of the first class of the Student Ombuds Program, finding his place on the football team, and his passion for giving back.

The Argus: Why do you think you were nominated to be a WesCeleb?

Logan Tomlinson: I think that I am a fairly social person, and I do a few different things on campus, so I get to meet and build relationships with a good amount of people. I feel like just by raw numbers, maybe a good amount of people know me, and someone thought positively enough of me to nominate me. 

A: How did you become interested in your majors of psychology and economics?

LT: When I came to Wesleyan, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. At the time, most of the upperclassmen I knew were football players, and a large majority of them were econ majors and I heard a lot of good things about the major. I started taking classes in the major and it was something that I thought I could see myself succeeding in. 

I took a psych course in high school, and I loved it. After I got here, I saw the breadth of psych courses that they offered, so I started taking psych courses just because I was interested. By my sophomore year, I had probably taken four or five psych courses and I said to myself, “I might as well try to get the major.”

A: Do you have any favorite professors that have shaped your experience here?

LT: One of my favorite professors was Professor [of Economics Masami] Imai. I had him for ECON300. I liked the content, but also, I thought he taught it in a way that was easy to digest and understand. We had a project at the end of that course that involved data, which I struggle with, and he was extremely helpful. It was [during] COVID so it was harder to communicate, and he was extremely willing to get on a Zoom call with me and walk me through things I didn’t understand. 

I also took Animal Minds with Professor [of Philosophy Sharisse] Kanet. I loved that class. It was an 8:50 and I was excited to go to it every morning which is tough for an 8:50. She also did a really good job of making it very interesting and engaging.

I also want to mention Professor [of Psychology Scott] Plous. I took his “Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination” course. It was a 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. night class, so everything was set up to be dreadful, but I absolutely loved it. I learned so much about myself [and] the world at large. We attacked a lot of big social issues from these angles that force you to question your behaviors and actions. I thought that was tough at times, but I really grew from it.

A: You were in the pilot program of the Students Ombuds program. Can you talk a little bit about how you got involved in that?

LT: I got an email about the program launching. I thought it was a very interesting opportunity to make a real impact. As I mentioned before, I like meeting people and helping people. So I applied and I was fortunate enough to get the position. Dean [for Academic Equity, Inclusion, and Success April] Ruiz runs the program, and she’s amazing. She was our ringleader through everything, and you couldn’t have asked for a better person to lead that mission. We really followed her lead because it was the first year. We had an opportunity to make the program what we wanted it to be because there were no guidelines. 

A: What were your takeaways from that experience?

LT: Being there for someone is always invaluable to that person. Your willingness to listen and wanting to be there for someone, you don’t know how much of a difference that can make. Through this program, we had opportunities to work with people who needed help, whether it was in academics, athletics, social issues, things they felt like they had no one else to confide in, and the ability to be there for someone when they needed help was invaluable for both parties. You don’t know what someone’s dealing with, so you should always be kind and if you can lend a helping hand, you always should.

A: What was your experience being a part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council?

LT: My sophomore year, which was during COVID, the DEI Council wanted representatives from every sports team, so I volunteered to be one of the football representatives. We had a good amount of free time with COVID, so we could do a lot of things that we might not have been able to do otherwise. Us five [football] representatives would meet and we would discuss what we felt was pressing, whether it was a current social issue, a concept, anything related to DEI that we felt we would benefit from as a team and as a university. We would come up with some sort of presentation to start the conversation and create a comfortable environment where people felt like they could share their opinions and their perspectives on the issue. 

I think that’s really the best way to tackle these big societal issues—to start the conversation and raise awareness. You might be having this conversation with people who this is the first time they ever thought about this issue, and you could be having the same conversation with people who have dealt with this issue firsthand. So you have a unique opportunity to bridge a lot of gaps.

A: With the Student-Athlete of Color Leadership Council, how and why did you end up becoming a part of that?

LT: I joined the council my junior year. I had a good amount of friends who were in the council, and they said that it was a great thing to be a part of, they felt like they could make real change, and be in a space with like-minded people who dealt with similar problems and had similar goals. 

The whole premise of that council is to be a hub for student-athletes of color to have their voices heard and their worries answered. The overarching goal was to create a better environment at the university level, the athletic department level, and the classroom level, for student-athletes of color. As a student-athlete of color myself, I understood why it was so necessary to have this organization on campus. If I could take my perspectives and my knowledge about the university and athletic department to the organization, in order to help them achieve their mission, why would I not?

A: How has being a part of the Student-Athlete of Color Leadership Council impacted your experience as a student-athlete?

LT: It branched not only my social network but my perspective from outside of my team. A lot of times we think inwardly, and we think ‘I face these issues as an individual or as a member of my team.’ Now you broaden your horizon to look at what issues we face as an athletic department. You’re able to tackle bigger problems. We might have this greater issue that 20 of the 30 teams on campus are dealing with, so let’s figure out how to make a better environment for everyone. 

A: You’re involved in a lot of community-minded [organizations] and you obviously have a big passion for helping people. Where does that come from? 

LT: I would say first and foremost, my upbringing. I think that’s something that was instilled in me from a young age. Both of my parents were very adamant about the importance of being grateful for what you have, being altruistic, and doing your part to help others. I think that was strengthened as I went through childhood and high school. There have been so many instances where people have helped me get somewhere that I wouldn’t have been able to without them looking out for me. That’s something that I don’t take for granted, and that’s something that I want to be able to give back. 

A: Now we’re gonna talk about football. Your number is three. Is there any reason why you picked the number three?

LT: I came into college as a quarterback. I played quarterback in high school [and] I was number 12. In my sophomore year, I began playing both quarterback and [wide] receiver. By my junior year, I began playing receiver full-time. I could have continued to wear 12, but I felt like it was a moment of change, so why not change my number, too? And I’ve grown to love it.

A: I want to ask you about your transition coming in as a quarterback to now being the wide receiver. 

LT: My freshman year we had two really good quarterbacks, Ashton Scott ’22 and David Estevez ’22 They split time as the quarterback, and we went 8–1. We had a great year. They were amazing leaders. Going into my sophomore year, my thought process was “I’m going to be in a competition for the starting job between the two of them.” I’m a competitive person—it wasn’t something I shied away from. 

Then COVID happened. We didn’t have a season, and we were low on numbers. So they asked me to take some reps as a receiver just to help out. As I began doing that more and more, they saw an opportunity for me to be successful there. And the sentiment became that maybe we’d be better off as a team with me at receiver and them playing quarterback, versus us three competing for one job.

They presented me that perspective, and I didn’t like it at first. I played quarterback my whole life and I came here to play quarterback. But once I got over that and I really leaned into playing receiver, I quickly grew to love it. Over the course of a year or so, I grew pretty comfortable in the position and continued that process of learning from everyone around me and taking in as much information about the position as I could. That really helped me become the player that I am now.

A: What’s your favorite part of the sport?

LT: First, the competition. I love to compete. Football is very unique in the sense that all 11 pieces need to be working in unison for you to be successful. But at all times, there’s always a one-on-one battle. So you have to be cohesive and in sync with your 10 teammates, but you always have one guy across from you [that] you have to be better than on every snap. The opportunity to always challenge and better yourself is something I really love about football. 

The second thing would be the brotherhood and the camaraderie. You go through so much with these guys, and you become very close to them. It’s very rare that you get that many people with that much shared experience, and that creates a really special environment where it feels like you have a hundred brothers out there with you.

A: You’re captain for the first time this year. How has that experience been for you?

LT: First off, I am grateful and humbled that the people on this team wanted me to be a leader. In my time as a captain, I’ve developed a lot from it. [As an underclassman,] you have the cliche understanding of what it means to be a captain—they yell at you when you’re wrong and things like that. But I don’t think you see behind the scenes. It’s a lot of dedication and it really tests your level of commitment and your willingness to sacrifice your time and other things for the greater good. 

A: Why did you end up picking Wesleyan?

LT: It started with football. I talked to a number of schools, and I think Wesleyan had a great combination of prestigious, high-level academics and competitive athletics, so that was immediately attractive to me. What really sold me was when I stayed on my overnight visit. I came to a game my senior year of high school, they won, I met a bunch of the players, and I immediately felt like these were the type of people I wanted to be around. I really felt like this was somewhere I could see myself being happy. 

A: What advice would you give to your freshman year self?

LT: Be curious, explore, and be open-minded, which are three different things but kind of all related. Something you can never lean into enough is the opportunity to do things out of your comfort zone. I would advise myself: don’t be afraid to meet new people. It’s the best thing you can do. Explore different classes. If you’re interested in something, go for it. Don’t hold yourself back from something because it’s out of the ordinary for you. It could be the best decision you make. 

A: What are you most proud of that you accomplished here?

LT: I’m proud to be graduating and leaving knowing that I left a positive impact on other people’s lives. Whether it’s my friends, professors, or staff, I am proud to know that there’s people here who were glad I was there. Whether that’s complimenting someone you walk by who you don’t know, thanking someone who’s doing something for you who might not often get thanked, or being a friend to someone, I feel like I can proudly say there’s a number of people who I’ve left some sort of a positive impact on.

A: What are your plans after you graduate?

LT: I have two years of athletic eligibility remaining, so I hope to transfer as a graduate and continue playing football for two more years and get my master’s degree somewhere. I’m currently in the beginning of that process of entering the transfer portal, putting my tape together, and reaching out to coaches. So it’s a very exciting time for me, and I’m very optimistic and fortunate to go through this recruiting process a second time. I’m also fortunate to have a job offer at BlackRock, so if I don’t have opportunities to transfer, I will begin working for BlackRock in August. So I have some different routes I could go. We’ll see what the future holds. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.