Alcorn State University (ASU) is the institution known to breed the leaders of tomorrow. After graduation many alumni venture off into the “real world” looking to leave their mark on mankind, but for Raymond Banks he decided to leave his mark a little closer to home.
Born on July 2, 1994 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Banks was the second child to be born to the union of Ray and Jakki Banks. One could only imagine the curveball that was thrown in the Bank’s household receiving the news that they were expecting. At the time of Banks’ birth his older brother Ray Banks, Jr. was 13- years-old. According to Banks, “My brother is 38-years-old so we weren’t that close when I was growing up because he was basically an adult. On my first day of kindergarten he was starting his senior year of high school.” Bank’s, in the traditional sense, was an only child so he had a lot of time to develop very close relationships with his mother and father. To this day he and his parents share a bond that is unbreakable. He spends a lot of time with them and they are always the first two people he looks to for good advice.
At Vicksburg High School (VHS), Banks was known as the “cool kid”. He was known for being a fashion forward, yet intelligent and involved student. His high school accolades includes being a member of the VHS Marching Band where he played the saxophone, President of the French Club, President of the History Club, President of the Environmental Club, being a recipient of the 2012 VHS Gator Award, a Student Government Representative and a frequent volunteer in his community. After graduating high school, he started his college career at Mississippi State University but he simply did not like it.
Left to figure out his next move, Banks transferred to Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi where he obtained his Associate’s degree. After Hinds, he attended Alcorn where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism on May 5, 2018.
Currently Banks is the Alumni Affairs Coordinator here at ASU. New to the position, he is anticipating on playing a role in changing the current dynamic of student involvement within the Alcorn National Alumni Association. In the near future he’s working towards building relationships with current students and their local alumni chapters, having more activities for the young alumni, pushing for a stronger bond with alumni between the ages of 22-35 and improving upon life after college programs from the Pre Alumni Council.