A walk across the Green with Mike B. Wilson '97 could take a while because he has to stop and hug and say hello to the all the people he knows.
"He attracts people to him because of his magnetic energy," Marcie Handler '97, a friend of Wilson's said. "He's incredibly motivated. He has a zeal for learning and life in general."
In the national spotlight
Wilson is also known across the country.
His "claim to fame" is the April 29, 1996 issue of Newsweek. An article on the high price of college includes a photograph of Wilson in front of Baker Library with a caption indicating his family's income level.
Wilson was working three jobs when Newsweek interviewed him -- one of them was at the Dartmouth News Service. On a day he was working at the News Service, Newsweek called and asked for a student of a certain income bracket, and he volunteered himself.
"I got my own personal photographer for a day," he said, laughing.
He said the reporters from Newsweek interviewed both him and his mother for about two hours, but only printed a small caption.
Wilson comes from a single-parent family with five brothers and three sisters.
He is the first in his family to attend college. His three older brothers and older sister did not attend college. His youngest sister just started her freshman year at Akron University.
Wilson said he would not have been able to attend Dartmouth without his scholarship.
Because of his high performance on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, Wilson received an IBM-sponsored four-year merit scholarship, which he said is a "mostly full" scholarship.
He said he loves being part of a big family because there are always so many people around him.
"But being from a huge family, you don't always get everything you want," he said.
Wilson said living in a large family has helped him to develop a strong work ethic. He has been working since he was 14-years-old. Wilson held three jobs while he was a freshman in high school.
He said his friends told him he would not be able to make it at Dartmouth.
"I was expecting it to be very rigorous. It's not easy -- it requires work, but it is also so much fun," he said. "It is truly the work hard-play hard atmosphere."
Wilson joked that he was majoring in "pre-unemployment."
A classic student
Wilson, who is actually a Classical Studies major, also works diligently in his school work.
"He's ridiculously smart and ridiculously indecisive. He changed his major several times," said Jess Rogers '97, who met Wilson on the Classics Foreign Study Program their sophomore spring, "He can do basically anything he wants to do, and he works really hard."
Wilson said one of his best Dartmouth experiences was the Classics FSP.
He said he particularly enjoyed the FSP because he had never been overseas before.
"I love ancient history. I couldn't believe I was actually walking inside the Parthenon and seeing the things I'd only read about," he said.
Wilson said several people in Greece wanted to take a photograph with him and have his autograph because they mistook him for a celebrity.
"In Greece, many people had never seen a black person before. Little kids would stare at me and people would call me Michael Jackson or Michael Jordon," he said.
Wilson said he was drawn to his major by a Greek history course he took his freshman fall with Classics Professor Roberta Stewart.
"She was the most amazing professor. I was completely fascinated because she was so into her work," he said.
He is currently working on an independent study on homosexuality in Rome.
Wilson said he eventually would like to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Greece.
Working hard
Wilson's work ethic applies not only to academics, but to the jobs he has held while at Dartmouth.
Last winter, Wilson kept a 92-year-old man company and cooked for him. The man's wife had just died.
Handler said very few college students would have taken the time to do what Wilson did for that man.
Wilson said he learned much from the man because of his many experiences. He said the man was a neurosurgeon during World War II.
As payment for caring for the man, Wilson stayed in a condominium in Norwich, Vt., rent-free and was able to use a car.
Wilson moved back to campus for his senior year.
He currently works at the medical school where he compiles news articles on cancer research and other topics.
Wilson also worked as an advertiser for a college promotional pack company and for the Greencard company.
Dancing, leading, serving
Rogers said Wilson is so involved on campus because he enjoys being around different people.
After Jen Pollina '97 founded Sheba dance group during the summer of 1995, Wilson, Tanielle McBain '96 and Jamelle Berry '97 took over.
"We came up with a lot of the original movements," he said.
He said Sheba's first year was "rocky" because its members did not know how to run a group.
"I'd made up my mind that I didn't want to be in it anymore," he said.
But he said the group's second year has been more successful.
"We're like a family -- we just can't get enough of each other," he said, smiling.
He said although the group typically rehearses four hours every Sunday, "no one complains."
Wilson said the group practiced two hours everyday for a week before their big show two weeks ago at the Friday Night Dance Club.
He said other dance groups forming at the College keeps Sheba on its toes.
Wilson said he has always enjoyed dancing. He said he took two years of ballet as a child and was involved in a two-person dance group in high school. He said he also frequents dance clubs.
Wilson has had his share of leadership roles on campus.
Last winter, Wilson served as co-President of Dartmouth United.
He is the current president of Fire and Skoal senior society. He said Fire and Skoal has planned to host various speakers, including College president James Freedman and professors.
He said he also hopes the society will get more involved in community service. In particular, he is looking to work with an international organization, started by Kelley Parker '97, which helps disadvantaged children who have cystic fibrosis.
Wilson is a brother at Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity. He said he enjoys the community service aspects of his fraternity like volunteering at the College's annual blood drive.
Wilson has also been a member of the gymnastics team since his freshman winter, although he has not had time to participate this term. He said he plans to compete this winter.
