If you’ve ever wondered who the nicest guy on campus is, you don’t need to wonder much longer. It’s hands down Tommy McBride. Just see for yourself in this interview he had with HC Berry this week!
Name: Thomas (Tommy) E. McBride IV
Graduation Year: 2017
Hometown: Lawrenceville, GA
Major: marketing
Activities: Ultimate Frisbee club team, Mountain Biking, all intramural teams, Dana Course (disc golf), Resident Assistant in Dana, Head Resident of Morgan and Deerfield (in 2016), Presidential Ambassador, President of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) – District Leader for Georgia, huge baseball fan (Go Braves), always first in line at Skate Night, hallway putt-putt, professional fiddler, and a Razor-scooter enthusiast.
HC: I noticed you just Razor-scootered into the room, tell me a little about this hobby.
Tommy: Well, I got this scooter for my 11th birthday. I used to be good at tricks and all that. But, this one time I was trying to do a giant jump with a little twist move, I ended up face planting and scraping up my arm and leg. That was the end of my days of scootering. However, it’s quick to get up and down the hall since my hall is massive.
HC: Tell me what it’s like to be Greek!
Tommy: Oh, gosh. Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? It’s exactly like that. Big, loud households, a lot of people all at once. No privacy, but a lot of fun. Probably the best friends that I’ll ever have because we share so much in common, and we’ve been around each other so often. I’ve made family bonds that I will have for a lifetime. I have family and friends that live all around the nation, and our bonds are so strong as soon as we see each other again, we start back right back where we left off.
HC: What the best part of being an RA?
Tommy: All the relationships I’ve built with everybody on campus. Whether it be professional staff, my co-RAs or my residents. I had freshmen last year. That was an experience to say the least. This year I’ve met a new group of sophomores. I’ve been maintaining the relationships I had and have been making new ones.
HC: What’s it like being an RA of a co-ed hall?
Tommy: It’s a new experience, really for everybody. It’s never been done on this scale. It’s a little bit different because a lot of girls are hesitant to come to me with any issues. I try to stay open and understand where they are coming from. It’s definitely been a new challenge for me to get to know how girls live. It’s also been a challenge programming for both sides. Guys like certain things and sometimes girls aren’t really interested in that. I think I’ve handled it well.
HC: What do you like most about Berry?
Tommy: I like the small student population. We have so many opportunities that come with a small campus. It’s great. When I talk to people from UGA, USC, or like Bama, they don’t have relationships with their professors or people that they see every single day walking to class. It’s great that Berry can offer that kind of atmosphere to us. It’s fun to see how relationships grow and how everyone is connected. I think the tighter knit community is one of the best aspects of Berry.
HC: Tell me about your fiddle!
Tommy: I’ve been playing since 6th grade. My great uncle passed away, and it was his violin that he played professionally. I had to choose band, orchestra or chorus. I chose orchestra. I’ve played every year since. I’ve been lovin’ it.
HC: I’ve heard that a fiddle is a just a violin with a different attitude, do you agree with this statement?
Tommy: FACT. I like that statement. It really is. People think it’s two different instruments. The fiddle is just a style of playing. It’s folky, country-like and twangy. The violin is the general term for the instrument. That’s just what it is. Typically, when you think of violin, you think of more classical pieces. You think of what you would hear in an orchestra.
HC: Tell me about your hallway golfing habit?
Tommy: Sometimes, I just like to be out in the hall to say hey to everybody that comes through. We typically play for milkshakes. Sometimes it’ll be higher stakes, like a full Cookout meal or something like that. I like to have competition. I like to compete. I pretty much know I’m the best golfer on the hall because I beat an actual golfer.
HC: What advice would you give the newly appointed RAs?
Tommy: I have a lot of new RAs on my staff next year. I would say get involved and be intentional. This job is what you make it, and it’s not guaranteed. You never know when you might change someone’s life. Just with one simple conversation. It’s a really rewarding job actually, if you take the time to invest in your residents.
HC: Are you excited about being a senior?
Tommy: Yes and no. I’m excited to get the year going and get the new challenges underweigh as a head resident. I’m not so excited to graduate because I’m not sure what I want to do. I have to start paying my bills. Money makes the world go round, right? But I’m excited to be the top dog on campus again. I have been thinking about going into Chick-fil-a corporate and the marketing division. I’ve been working for Chick-Fil-A since my junior year of high school. I love the company, and I love what they stand for. I think that I could bring a good culture and a good face to the company.