“My favorite thing about Hamilton has to be the people,” says sophomore Knute Gailor, HC Hamilton’s first campus celebrity of the week. As President of the Student Assembly and the comedy coordinator for the Campus Activities Board (or CAB as we call it), Knute embodies what almost everyone loves about Hamilton the most: the people.
Hamilton offers countless activities, clubs, and groups none of which would ever be possible without the great Hamiltonians themselves. As Knute says, “ I love that a conversation among friends can start out with an intense debate over the merits of Keystone v. Busch Light and end with a detailed analysis of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. I’ve never been in another place where everyone is so genuinely friendly, interested in what others have to say, and committed to making the world a better place. People here know how to strike a great balance between having a good time and working hard, and no one takes him or herself too seriously.” Nothing truer has ever been said and Knute himself has proved that.
Knute joined Student Assembly at the beginning of freshman year after his A.A. group convinced him that he would the perfect candidate for class president. Up for the challenge, Knute did not a waste a minute running from the dark to the light side and back again, to gather his 50 signatures. But what Knute doesn’t fail to mention is that, “The people in [his] group ran around campus getting signatures for [him], made posters, and yelled at people to vote for [him].” Looks like Knute’s favorite part about Hamilton really is true, the people here are awesome.
After a push from some friends and undoubtedly incredibly hard work, Knute climbed the Student Assembly ladder, and now is the current comedy coordinator for CAB. Knute brings together two of his best qualities into one campus leadership position: he’s hilarious and dynamic. He has the track record to prove it, too. As a leader in CAB, Knute helped plan the fabulous FebFest that brought a little sunshine to the brutally cold final two weeks of February. Despite the torn ligament in his ankle, Knute himself was a contestant in the famous Mr. Hamilton competition. He strutted his stuff, flaunted some of this season’s finest eveningwear, and added his own twist to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. There’s nothing like a good sing-a-long to a great country song here at Hamilton. In fact, another fun fact about Knute is that he sang a cappella in high school and is eager to return to his old love and steal the hearts of fans across campus (as if he hasn’t already) before he leaves us here on the hill.
Besides FebFest, Knute is feverishly working on the much anticipated Class and Charter Day, which I hear is pretty much the greatest day on earth. Literally. This year will be no exception with Sam Adams and the White Panda preparing to blow our minds with their rocking jams. Thanks to Knute and the rest of CAB, we will all also have to prepare for spring semester’s take on what will essentially be the Farm Party+ LCD Soundsystem + Halloween.
When Knute isn’t planning the events that bring our college on the hill to life, he enjoys a number of relaxing activities. Knute (also a member of the golf team) can picture himself teeing off on a Saturday afternoon with some buddies, reading The New York Times, playing basketball, and watching Sports Center. Basically, he’s your average guy who also has some pretty big dreams. As a History and potential Middle Eastern Studies major, Knute sees himself joining the Foreign Service and traveling to the Middle East. While these may be his dreams, nothing seems impossible for this man of determination and hilarity—not even his aspiration of sipping “a Guinness while sitting in the hot tub training room.”