What happens to those couples that hold hands on the waterfront? If they are lucky, eventually they get married and create families that later return to their Home By the Sea. For many students, being a Hamptonian is in their blood. However, being a second-generation pirate is about more than upholding the family name. It’s about creating a name for one’s self as well.
Miguel Ramos III’s parents fell in love back when they attended Hampton in the 1980’s. Ramos, an accounting major from Suffolk VA, also has an aunt, uncle, and cousin that are Hampton alumni as well. Ramos’s father Miguel Ramos Jr. was member of the track team, and his mother Chicquita Ramos was previously an Alpha sweetheart. After hearing his parents reminisce about the old cafeteria or how they used to walk on the waterfront together, one would think there would be added pressure for Miguel to become a Hamptonian himself. However, when it came to applying to schools, “They were open to me weighing my options at different schools, but they made sure Hampton was a viable option,” Ramos said “I came here and I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else.”
“Hampton was a second home to me before I even came here” said Nick Beach, a junior electrical engineering major from Stafford VA, “I was raised to be a Hamptonian.” Beach’s mother graduated from Hampton in 1982. She was in the army ROTC program and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated. Beach also has two older cousins that graduated from Hampton and an older brother who is graduating later this year. “Having had so much family at Hampton, I’ve been visiting this school since a young age for what seems like every homecoming since I was five years old and every other football game since I was 8 years old, as well as the majority of my summers,” said Beach.
(Miguel’s family: Miguel Ramos Jr., Chicquita Ramos, Miguel Ramos III, and his younger brother)
Sydney Jenkins, a freshman political science major from Chesterfield Virginia, also has a Hampton influenced family tree. Her mother, father, grandmother, aunt, and uncle all attended Hampton University. Now she is continuing their legacy by becoming a pirate herself. “I went to predominately white schools my entire life, so to hear my family always talk about the amazing experiences they had at Hampton persuaded me to come here” Jenkins said. Jenkin’s family was also very involved on campus. Jenkins father pledged Alpha Phi Alpha while he was at Hampton, and her mother later pledged Delta Sigma Theta in grad school. When it comes to living up to her parent’s legacy at Hampton, Jenkins puts an emphasis on balancing social and educational life. Jenkins continued, “To be a second-generation pirate to me just means I can strive to be not only as great as but better than those that came before me.”
After having family history at Hampton University, being a Pirate takes on a whole new meaning. As these students carry out their family legacies, they also continue create their own marks on campus.