April 24, 2008
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A sophomore on the men’s golf team, Rockwell is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for the men’s golf team. As the team’s SAAC representative, he is responsible for heading up the team’s community service effort and ensuring that everyone participates. Rockwell is a native of Owings Mills, Md., and is majoring in economics.
Why is it important for you to do community service?
I’ve always believed that to whom much is given, much is expected. I honestly believe that being born into a privileged lifestyle, you definitely have a responsibility to help out those who weren’t.
How good of a feeling is it when you are doing community service?
It is cool. Usually the things you are doing seem inconsequential, but you can tell to the people you are helping out that it really means a lot. You’d be surprised by how much of a difference you can make.
How much does community service make you realize how fortunate you are?
It definitely does. It goes back to being born into a privileged position. You are at Vanderbilt, you are hanging out there with your teammates and you don’t realize that we are the luckiest ones and are a small percentage.
The golf team has visited the Children’s Hospital a few times during the fall, what does the team do when they are there?
They have a game room setup and the kids are free to come in and play with us and take their mind off their condition. It is really up to (the kids) as to what we do. They know who we are. It is pretty cool to most of them. We bring posters and sign them. Some kids request all of our signatures on a T-shirt so some of them think it is pretty cool.
Did you have experience with community service in high school?
I did community service, but not in a leadership role. My high school required 50 hours of community service to graduate. I worked at a soup kitchen homeless shelter called Paul’s Place in Baltimore City.
What is your main role as the SAAC representative for the men’s golf team?
We meet every other Monday, and the main focus of the meeting is community service. For any community service projects that are brought up, it is my responsibility to inform the team and to organize from within.