Name: Travis Hutchinson
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
College: Timothy Dwight
Year: 2015
I had heard good things already, but nothing could have prepared me for the suave, gentlemanly experience I had within our first thirty seconds of meeting.
We planned to find each other at Blue State on Wall and I, per usual, was running a bit late. I sprinted in to be greeted by a tall, handsome boy handing me a steaming cup of good ol’ Blue State coffee. Now this is customer service, I thought. Then I realized that, no, this wasn’t an eager-to-please employee–even better–it was the chivalric T-Hutch, and my very own knight in shining armor. They don’t make boys like this anymore, girls.
HC: How do you like it at Yale so far?
TH: People here are amazing. They make me feel bad about myself, but I love them anyway. I’ve never been able to have such a great time out with friends and then come home and talk for hours about actual…things. You know, issues, picking things apart, analyzing them. It’s great here.
HC: What is your favorite space on campus?
TH: The School of Forestry, top floor. It’s a quiet space where you can meet a lot of cool undergrads and grad students. I’ve gotten a lot of good work done there and had a lot of amazing conversations.
HC: What sort of organizations are you involved with so far?
TH: BMU (Black Men’s Union) and FCC. I’m having a lot of fun in both. They both have great people, great objectives.
HC: Where is your go-to-go-out place?
TH: I’m still figuring that out. I really like going out, seeing what’s happening, and heading back home for some food and conversation. That’s my ideal night. I wish people danced more, though. I love dancing.
HC: You stumble into Gourmet Heaven at two in the morning. Where do you head?
TH: The sandwiches. Chicken cutlet sandwich, the usual. I have yet to try out their sandwich menu. I’m excited about it.
HC: What is your favorite food?
TH: My Mom’s vegetarian lasagna! I’m not a vegetarian – well, I had to stop once I started getting really into football, but I still love that lasagna. I can’t wait to go home and have it over break.
HC: What are you looking for in a lady?
TH: Personality. She can be gorgeous, but if she doesn’t have that spunk, I’m not interested. Obviously, it wouldn’t hurt if she were cute, but that’s not my number one priority.
HC: How do you feel about the ladies at Yale?
TH: I was pleasantly surprised when I got here! There are so many smart, interesting, and attractive women here. It’s a bit intimidating.
HC: What do you see yourself doing after graduating?
TH: I honestly don’t know. I like humanities, but my family wants me to do something more math-and-science. I mean, it’s not like they are going to force me to do anything, but it’s hard having that pressure. I just want to help people.
HC: Elaborate.
TH: Here we go. I know it sounds generic, but I want to directly benefit people, not myself. I want to solve problems…anywhere. I hated seeing, back home, the disparity between socioeconomic classes and minorities. I would probably focus on Brooklyn or Nigeria, if I had to pick somewhere right now.
HC: What is your spirit animal?
TH: Merman. Is that an animal? Definitely a merman.
HC: Last question, very important: what is your favorite color, and why?
TH: Oo, that’s tough. Dark purple. It’s a color that evokes a lot of emotion. It covers a lot of emotions, too. You can feel solemn, you can feel passion. Dark purple sticks out, but blends into the background just as easily. I just think it’s a sexy color.