Senior Profile: Malcolm Leverett '14

The Rockefeller Center encourages its outgoing seniors to reflect on their experiences at Dartmouth as part of a series called Rocky and Me. 

Photo by Courtney Cania

"It was not until sophomore year that I made a firm commitment to be involved in the Rockefeller Center. I enrolled in the Management and Leadership Development Program. This fantastic program laid the groundwork for what I believe to be my professional success in college." --Malcom Leverett '14

Dartmouth, for me, was the obvious choice. Having only attended small schools, I realized later in the college search process that I needed an isolated college town. Further, I needed the academic rigor and breadth of co-curricular opportunities I was exposed to in grade school and high school. Dartmouth’s reputation obviously preceded it, but I wouldn’t have been sure until I visited.

There was something about the powdery, fresh snow in February, the meticulously crafted Colosseum, and the welcoming atmosphere that confirmed this Midwesterner’s choice on where to spend his next four years.

I could not have fathomed the growth I experienced here at Dartmouth. And I can attribute the majority of my collegiate growth during the latter part of my college career to the Rockefeller Center.

Like most freshmen, I learned about the Rockefeller Center through their many programming opportunities. I went to their talks with prominent members in the fields of government, economics, and public policy. It was not until sophomore year that I made a firm commitment to be involved in the Rockefeller Center. I enrolled in the Management and Leadership Development Program.

This fantastic program laid the groundwork for what I believe to be my professional success in college. We discussed leadership training, professionalism, and other ways to be successful in one’s career. This gave me a taste of the impact Rockefeller Center programs can have.

After a few terms away from Dartmouth junior year, I came back with a reinforced desire to become a better leader. My leadership roles in college provided me with a base on which I could reflect in order to improve. As such, my eyes were set on the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows Program. I liken the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows program with Business School. It provides those with previous experience the opportunity to build upon their existing skills. We heard from Harvard Business School professors to CEOs to Dartmouth Trustees. Rocky provides fellows with the opportunity to hear about many different types of leadership theories and styles in order to mold our own.

The Rockefeller Center is more than just programming; it also has curricular options. However, given the rigor of my major and minor here at Dartmouth, I did not have the room to fit classes on Leadership Theory. I still, though, had an interest in learning about these topics. Also, I wanted to apply and evaluate leadership theory. The Rockefeller Leadership Fellows program was the perfect outlet.

In order to lead others, one must first know thyself. One must know their strengths and weaknesses in order to accurately assess their role in a situation. If I took nothing else away from the sessions this past year, I know that self-reflection and introspection are essential to personal growth. The program incorporates a number of formal reflection opportunities, but inherent in the program is a type of organic reflection through hearing others’ perspectives and stories. I cannot say this enough, this program has been invaluable to my growth as a person, employee, and leader.

Malcolm Leverett, a twin and the youngest of three children, graduated from Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan. At Detroit Country Day School, Malcolm was a two-sport varsity athlete and attained the title of state champion in Michigan’s Optimist Clubs’ Oratorical Contest. At Dartmouth, Malcolm majored in Economics and minored in Hispanic Studies. He was co-President of Dartmouth’s Black and Latino Business Alliance and went abroad the fall of his junior year in the Spanish Foreign Study Program in Madrid. He works as a Library Assistant and works to improve Dartmouth in his role as intern with Senior Assistant Dean, Inge-Lise Ameer and through Palaeopitus Senior Society. He participated in the Rockefeller Center’s Management and Leadership Development program as a sophomore and is currently a member of the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows program. Malcolm remains active in the Afro-American Society and his fraternity, Beta Alpha Omega, and upon graduation will be entering the Investment Track in the Vanguard Group’s Accelerated Development Program.