Student Squared: Ike Nnadika ’30

Q: Hi Ike, how’s your freshman year going? 

A: I would say it’s been going pretty good. The transition has been pretty seamless. I have a little bit of an advantage because I went to a boarding school, but it’s been good. 

Q: What boarding school did you go to?

A: I went to Westtown in West Chester, Penn. It’s 40 minutes from Phil[adelphia].

Q: Where are you from originally? Can you tell me a little bit about home for you? 

A:  I was born and raised in Jersey City, but then, about four or five years ago, I moved to Old Bridge, [N.J.], which is near the shore. That was an interesting transition because when I moved to Old Bridge is also when I went to boarding school. The transition was a little hard because every time I would come back from my boarding school over break [I was] in this new, suburban town and I [didn’t] really know anybody who lived close to me. I [didn’t] really have new friends in that area, so at first, that would be really challenging too. And, public transportation wasn't easily accessible. You have to take a car everywhere, which is definitely different from city life.

Q: Do you know why your family moved there?

A: We lived in Jersey City, or [my parents] lived in Jersey City for like 20-plus years. I think it was just time for a change. Jersey City is obviously very loud. And I think there was [no longer a] need for them to live in the city. Like my brothers, they were all at the house. My parents [had] settled down, and they wanted peace of mind. Living in the city, it’s very rowdy.

Q: How many siblings do you have?

A: So I have three older brothers. My oldest is 28. The second oldest is 27, and the third oldest is 25.

Q: Where are they now?

A: So the oldest lives in Richmond. He was previously in the Air Force, but now he does construction in Richmond. The second oldest is a doctor at Rutgers [University]. He does oral maxillofacial surgery. And then the third one works at either a tech or a finance company. He worked at Morgan Stanley for a bit, and I think he’s going to law school next fall.

Q: Very cool. What does a typical day in your life look like?

A: It depends. I think a typical day would be like I wake up, maybe around 9 or 10 [a.m.], eat breakfast, go to class. Usually, my classes are at 11:35 [a.m.] It’s very convenient. So if I don’t go to the gym in the morning, I’ll probably go later on. So go to class, eat lunch. My final class ends at 3:50 [p.m.]. Then I go to the gym from 4:30 to 5:30 [p.m.]. [Then I] eat, shower, study, hang out with my friends. But now that I'm on lacrosse, [practices are] from 4:30 to 6:30 [p.m.]. So I probably get there around 4:00 [p.m.], stretch, warm up, and then we'll have practice. Walk back, eat dinner, shower, change, do homework, study.

 Q: You’re on lacrosse now?

A: Yeah, I walked on.

Q: Wait, that’s so awesome and impressive. Are there other walk-ons?

A: Thank you, thank you. I think there [are], but I’m the only one who walked on this year, and there weren’t any walk-ons last year.

Q: What did the process look like?

A: It was pretty simple. All I did was just practice with the team. They didn’t really give me any special attention per se. They might have looked at me while I was doing the drills, but it’s not like they pulled me to the side and had me do something different from the team. So I guess that was my tryout process, and I had to do four [practices] before I made the team.

Q: What classes are you taking this semester and which is your favorite? 

A: So I have my freshman year seminar, “Progress.” I have MATH-111: “Introduction to the Calculus”; ECON-111: “Introduction to Economics”; and my Black Studies class, BLST-253: “Building Colonial Cities.” [My favorite] is tough. It’s between my seminar and my Black Studies class.

Q: What’s your most challenging class?

A: My most challenging is definitely econ.

Q: Yeah, agreed. What do you plan on majoring in?

A: We’ll see. This semester I’m taking econ and math. Next semester, I’m taking psych[ology] and political science. So I think after I take those four, then I’ll be able to know like “okay, I did this first semester and didn’t really like it, but I did this second semester I might have liked it,” and kind of build on that. So, I think we’ll see after freshman year.

Q: Okay, cool. What’s one thing that has surprised you since coming to college?

A: I honestly think how much I miss my family. Even though I went to a boarding school, when my parents dropped me off, it’s a certain sadness that was just very unexpected and it kind of surprised me too because I’m used to being away from home for long periods of time ... coming to college, when they finally dropped me off, it was just so different. I couldn’t really pin where it was coming from, but college is different, you know?

Q: Yeah, it’s a whole different way of life.

A: Yeah, genuinely, you’re really on your own, so I think that’s the one thing that really surprised me.

Q: What, if anything, is something from Amherst that reminds you of home?

A: That’s a good question. I would just say how nice and friendly people are, and how people accept me for who I am. Coming to Amherst, I’ve been able to tell people my full name without second-guessing or having people not pronounce it [correctly]. So that reminds me of home, where people know who I truly am, my true colors. Even though my name is Ike, I tell people my full name, and they’re able to call me by that, too. I think for the first couple years [in boarding school], I wasn’t welcome to tell people my full name. But I think now that I’m here, more people are a lot more accepting and willing to learn.

Q: That's so awesome. Okay, what’s your favorite spot on campus?

A: My favorite spot has to be Charles Pratt [Hall]. It might sound cliché, but I think Pratt is actually a really good dorm. I think we have a really good community here. We celebrate birthdays. There are always random people here just chilling. I think that’s a testament to what we have over here.

Q: It’s such a contrast to the other dorms. I feel like Pratt is a big club or something.

A: Yeah, it does feel like that. It can be overwhelming at times, but I think for the vast majority, it’s been good. Besides the construction …

Q: Construction?

A: Yeah, my window is across from the construction for Ford [Student Center]. So, when they’re building at 6 a.m., we hear the trucks and tractors and the construction moving. It’s very annoying, but now it has subsided.

Q: How’s your roommate experience?

A: It’s honestly been pretty good. We are actually from the same city, but we didn’t know each other prior to coming to Amherst. So that’s been pretty [nice to] have someone who you know and understands the same city.

Q: If you were to trade lives with someone at Amherst for the day, who would it be?

A: It would have to be [President] Michael Elliott. I only see him around like he just spawns into places. I just want to know what he does. I want to know what he’s thinking about. One time, I came out from the dining hall at like 10:30 to 11 [p.m.], and he was there too. I’m like, ‘what are you doing?’

Q: What’s a random fact about you?

A: A random fact about me is that two years ago, my junior year, when I was playing basketball, my tooth came out. I was going for the steal, and I think my tooth snagged on the person’s shirt, and it just came out. It was hanging [on] by like the nerves. I know — it’s a little graphic. I had to get rushed to an emergency dentist, and they literally put the tooth back in. It was like arguably one of the scariest moments of my life, but I have the same tooth, and everything's good.

Q: Oh my god, that’s terrible.

A: Yeah, I couldn’t speak, and I went to the dentist, and then they just put it back in. It didn’t even hurt, but I couldn't talk for the next week. I had to wear a little mouth guard so it didn't come back out.The part that hurt is when it was coming out, but when they put it back in, it actually didn’t hurt at all.

Q: Yikes. Anyway, if you could only listen to one artist for the year, who would it be?

A: I would say Gunna, I think. I’m a big Gunna fan. I would say one of my favorite released songs [by Gunna] is “flooded.”

Q: If you had to do a TED talk on something random, what would it be? 

A: Ooh, that’s a really good question. I think I’d do a TED talk on identity. How others perceive you and how you might perceive others, and what the role of that is within society. 

Q: What drew you to Amherst?

A: I decided to come to Amherst [on] April 30. Literally the day before decision day. It was a tough decision.

Q: Were you deciding between anywhere else?

A: Yeah, it was between Amherst, Hamilton, and Trinity.

Q: What made you choose Amherst?

A: I just wanted to bet on myself. I think I was gonna be able to accomplish a lot of great feats here. My brother went to Hamilton, and I wanted to have my own legacy and have my own identity here. I feel like Amherst was the place to be. It’s also not too far from home. It’s not like in the middle of nowhere, like Hamilton. No shade to them, but I feel like Amherst is a really awesome place.