Desmond Garner hopes to take advantage of every opportunity that Vanderbilt University has to offer him while having a blast all the while. He aspires to combine his interests in finance and economics with his passion for foreign languages and cultures to pave an international career in economic development, business, or politics. A believer in the profound impact that a thorough education can have on one’s life, Desmond tutors a disadvantaged Hispanic student every week in order to develop and reinforce his skills in mathematics, reading, and writing. Also not willing to part with the jubilation he gains from singing, Desmond joined Vanderbilt’s Voices of Praise and relishes the gospel music they perform. Desmond also volunteers at the university’s child and family care center and loves being able to interact with the children by reading to them, preparing their snacks, and even going out to the playground with them.

One of Desmond’s immediate goals is to study abroad in both a Latin American country and to China in order to immerse himself in languages and ways of life different from his own in a distant, rural town in Alabama.