Issue 10, 2012 Winter - Valencia College

Valencia because it offered the opportunity for me to
grow and make it out of my environment.”
Through Bridges to Success, Walker received
mentoring, academic counseling, a support network and
a college scholarship, but it was up to him to make the
most of it all. It wasn’t an easy start. Walker wasn’t ready
for a full load of college-level courses and was placed into
remedial reading and writing courses.
“Coming in at a low level, my self-esteem was down,
my motivation was down,” said Walker. But, with
encouragement and mentorship from John Stover, the
program’s director, and his academic advisor, Sylvester
Robinson, Walker found the motivation to persevere.
“Both of them pulled me aside and let me know I could
do it, that I wasn’t going to stop—because I wanted
better in life. Through any downfalls, whether exams
or the time it took me to study, or following the rules
to receive my scholarship, they were there for me at
every moment.”
It was also through the Bridges program that Walker
gained his work ethic and a foundation in leadership.
As part of his scholarship requirement, he had to attend
leadership workshops and community service activities.
Then, he began to join student clubs and professional
organizations on his own accord. Each time, he
challenged himself to take on an executive role.
By the time he transferred to UCF, Walker was a
motivated, hard-working leader in the making. Not only
did he juggle two majors and a slew of extracurricular
clubs and activities, he became a popular speaker for
COMPACT, the high school mentoring program that
first pointed him in the right direction.
Now, he’ll have the opportunity to extend his
talents for motivating others to his career. And, while
Walker is excited about his prospects with Burger King
Corporation, his goals for the future don’t end there.
He is currently studying for the Graduate Management
Admission Test (GMAT) and plans to earn his MBA,
ideally from Stanford or Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). His ultimate goal is to run his
own marketing, management or communications
consulting company.
As to Walker’s secret to success, it’s something that
each of his mentors emphasized—that hard work
pays off.
“I joke that if I were to die today and I didn’t have
enough money to put my name and date of birth on
my tombstone, the one word I would like to have
there is ‘perseverance.’”
VITAE, WINTER 2012
Sweet Success • 27