Hometown: Charlotte, N.C. 

Leadership and Service
Battalion commander in JROTC at West Charlotte High, football, track, captain of wrestling and Mr. West Charlotte—a diverse roster of high-school experiences provided Mordecai Scott a solid college platform for his service-based Bonner Scholarship, Student Government Association, football, acting in Theatre Department productions, and helping lead the Emerging Professionals Group to help prepare students of color for the challenges of corporate America.

Davidson Trusted Me
In high school, Scott worked selling shoes and saved what he could. “I knew my parents couldn’t afford to help me pay to go to college… I was really good at selling those shoes!” Davidson’s Admissionand Financial Aid counselors took that and ran with it in Scott’s initial financial aid package—and then introduced him the next year to the historic, expanded opportunities of The Davidson Trust, which made his college experience affordable without the burden of further loans.

Major Concerns: Sociology and Diversity
A sociology major, he appreciates the discipline for its grounding in real time. “It looks at the past, the present, and the future.” And from where he sits, as a student, a campus leader, an actor, or an athlete, it is clear that an increasingly diverse student body—economically, ethnically, or otherwise—will only strengthen Davidson. “Diversity means being able to take knowledge from different areas of ‘cultural capital’ and using it to your advantage…. I’ve had people in class say to me, ‘I’ve never thought of it that way,’ just because I was in the room.”

Road Tripping and the Big Picture
Already a veteran of several summer internships and winner of a Lilly Program Road Trip Grant to explore vocation and visit Davidson alumni on the road with three buddies, Scott looks ahead with confidence and an open mind. “I feel like I could have success in business. But I also want to do something that benefits society. Some people think it’s the choice between having a salary and saving the world. I think it’s bigger than that.”