You’d better get used to the name Kevin Thompson ’09TCB: his
star is rising, and he may just become television’s next big
personality.
“I always knew I wanted to be an entertainer,” said Thompson, who
is currently competing to become the host of Black Entertainment
Television’s 106 & Park, a top-10 music video countdown show.
“I’m not a comedian by trade, but thanks to St. John’s, I developed
a lot of experience with warming up crowds and being a people
person, which has served me well throughout my career.”
This dedicated alumnus has spent the past three years interning and
working full-time at The Early Show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
and The Wendy Williams Show, performing a variety of tasks like
producing segments, entertaining guests and preparing crowds prior
to each taping.
He cites his time at St. John’s – particularly the summers he
served as an Orientation Leader – as his greatest
influence.
“When I was an Orientation Leader, I was assigned with greeting and
entertaining all of the students as they first came in,” Thompson
explained. “My job was to entertain them for over an hour, and I
had never done something like that before. I was nervous at first,
but DJ Zeke (stage name of fellow alumnus Ezekiel Akinyemi ’08TCB)
advised me to just be myself, and it turned out to be a great
experience.”
Thompson’s campus involvement didn’t stop with orientation, though.
He also served as President of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Student
Manager of the Women’s Track and Field team. His senior year, he
became a member of the President’s Society, the University’s
highest honor society.
“It’s funny,” Thompson said, “but once I started competing to
become host of 106 & Park, quite a few people have been wanting
to interview me for magazines. I always tell them to come interview
me on the St John’s campus, because that’s where I was born. That’s
the place that first put a microphone in my hands.”
A proud STJ graduate, Thompson recently came back to campus to warm
up the crowd at New Student Convocation. For Thompson, it was just
another way to give back, and he hopes to see other young alumni
participating in future events and programs.
“When people look back on their college experience, they don’t
always realize what they were paying for,” Thompson said. “They’re
paying for more than an education – they’re paying for a network, a
support system, and that’s why I come back. This is the biggest
support system I have, and St. John’s makes me feel like I can do
anything.”