Name: Lee Mendenhall
Year: Senior
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Wheeling, W.Va.
Relationship Status: Single
This week’s Cutie does it all! He hangs with Natty O on the reg as a President’s Aide and will make you swoon with his talented violist skills. If you want to help him cross off activities on his senior bucket list, go ahead and meet this week’s Campus Cutie, Lee Mendenhall!
Her Campus (HC): Okay so you are super involved on campus! What’s your favorite part about being a lieutenant for EMS, and how did you decide to get involved?
Lee Mendenhall (LM): I decided to join the Wake Forest University Medical Services almost before I got to Wake Forest actually. I was on a tour, and they had mentioned something about the medical team. I had been volunteering up to that point in the emergency room at a hospital, so I had a love for emergency medicine. To have a platform at Wake Forest that really allowed me to take the reins and pursue that further was exciting for me.
HC: That’s awesome! So are you interested in pursuing medicine after graduation?
LM: Yes! I’m currently in the application process for medical school.
HC: We wish you good luck with all of that! So, you’re also one on the principle violists in the University Orchestra. How long have you been playing the viola?
LM: I’ve been playing the viola since 4th grade. I picked it up myself. My family isn’t really musical or anything like that, and there was never really any intention to pick it up, until a girl I had a crush on in the first grade played viola. So that’s how I got started playing – to try to impress her. Then it just kind of took.
HC: So…did it work? Did you impress her?
LM: It did! (Laughs) I got a date out of it!
HC: (Laughs) Do you play any other instruments?
LM: I play the piano as well.
HC: What kind of music do you like? Do you have a favorite genre or artist?
LM: I could probably sing you any lyric from any song by the Eagles, so I’m a very oldies type of guy. The Who, The Outfield, Boston – any of those.
HC: What song would you pick to describe your life?
LM: (Laughs) Probably “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver. There’s nothing I enjoy more than going home to West Virginia.
HC: What’s it like being a President’s Aide for Natty O. Hatch?
LM: Serving as a President’s Aide is a really unique and rewarding experience. I get to interact on a personal level with the Office of the President and Dr. and Mrs. Hatch at various events. Getting to know them on a more personal level has been really fun: having dinner at his house or serving on behalf of the university in meeting prestigious alumni or trustee members. I would say each event is unique in itself and promises some type of interesting conversation or experience.
HC: Awesome! What are some of your hobbies?
LM: Well, playing viola and being a musician is definitely one of my main hobbies. I love it. When I go back home though, I really enjoy hunting and fishing. I’m very much an outdoorsy type of guy.
HC: Okay, so we want to know – what’s usually the first thing you notice about a girl?
LM: Definitely her laugh.
HC: What’s your perfect date?
LM: Okay, so for the perfect date I’d probably take a girl to the farmer’s market in Old Salem to start off the day. Then we’d eat somewhere in that area, and then spend the rest of the day napping in a hammock.
HC: Sounds romantic! If they were making a movie about your life, who would you want to star as you?
LM: Hmmm, if they were making a movie about my life… Ah, that’s a good question! Who’s a classic? Let’s go with Ryan Gosling.
HC: Favorite food?
LM: Home-cooking! Anything that’s homemade can win my heart over.
HC: Can you believe you’re graduating next semester!? What’s been your favorite moment or experience at Wake so far?
LM: That is a tough question! The greatest experience I’d say is the first performance of the string quartet I founded called Reynolda Strings. We played for one of my best friends and mentor, who passed away last year, at the Episcopal Church I was attending. Performing for him for the first time and really seeing that this was a group that could take off – and has taken off and become such a big part of my life now – just thinking back to that first time everything came together – it’s just kind of a “wow” and exciting moment for me.
HC: Anything you still need to check off your bucket list before you graduate next semester?
LM: (Laughs) This might be stupid, but I’ve yet to eat at The Porch, so that is probably on the bucket list. Also, I want to take a shot with Natty O! We are going to try to make that happen!
HC: I know you mentioned medical school, but do you have any other plans for after graduation?
LM: I definitely want service to be a big part of my life. It’s obviously really easy to be involved with service at Wake Forest in various capacities, but, after leaving here, I still want to make sure I create those opportunities to serve people. It’s a big part of my life, and I never want it to end.