This week’s Hampton Man Crush is Ellis Woodyard. He is a 2nd-year flight education major, from Raleigh, North Carolina. Ellis is a part of Hampton’s Track and Field Team, North Carolina Pre-Alumni Council, and the Flight Team. He also serves as Treasurer for the Student Aviation Leadership Team.
HC: Why did you choose Hampton?
EW: The main reason I chose Hampton was because of Honors Visitor Weekend. I had a great time seeing the campus. At first, I was reluctant to come here because my mom is an alumna. After seeing the campus and the people for myself I finally decided to attend the college.
HC: What are your plans for after college?
EW: I want to be a flight instructor, build hours and experience flying. I’ll eventually try to go to the airlines.
HC: What do you do in your free time?
EW: I started practicing the trombone, I haven’t played since middle school. I like to play videogames and watch ESPN. I just started my vinyl collection. So far I have J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye & Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne.” More are coming!
HC: Who motivates you?
EW: I draw motivation from everyone. If I see something good in a person I try to emulate those qualities. I want to match their energy, I try to learn from everyone. My mother motivates me to be a better person.
HC: What would you say are your best personality traits?
EW: I’m good at focusing on the task at hand. I feel like I’m a good team player. I try to help out the team. If someone needs help I do what I can to make things right.
HC: What makes a Hampton Man?
EW: A true Hampton man thinks about other people. He thinks about how the group and the team can get better. I don’t feel like that’s a Hampton man thing, it’s a Hamptoinian thing. We look out for one another. We joke about the walk backs but it’s important to keep girls safe. A Hampton man should look for improvements, not only in the world around them but himself as well.
HC: What relationship do you look up to?
EW: Definitely my dad and my mom. I know not everyone has a family dynamic like I do and I’m blessed to have them. I look up to them and I want to emulate their qualities when I get married. They both work hard and are equal in the relationship. They both raised good kids.
HC: Can long-distance relationships work?
EW: They’re hard. Long-distance relationships can work but couples have to communicate with each other. It becomes an issue when someone is more invested in the relationship than the other person. People don’t want to come across as needy or be ignored by their partner. You have to respect each other’s space, but make time for the relationship.
HC: What do you expect from a romantic relationship?
EW: I just want to grow and experience new things. Relationships are about finding a new perspective. People should be able to talk to each other about anything, good, bad, serious, and silly.
HC: What is the best and worst date you’ve been on?
EW: Best: It was with my current girlfriend on our first date at Tropical Smoothie. The moment we sat down, it was amazing. It was simple, only us, a table, and some smoothies. I remember it like it was yesterday, we spoke about everything. It was perfect.
Worst: At first I didn’t even know it was a date. We planned to go to Coldstone with a group of friends but they all bailed at the last minute. I was polite but it was really awkward. It was hard to communicate and I was forcing the conversation. We’re still friends though.
HC: If you could give your younger self advice about relationships what would it be?
EW: I’d tell myself not all people are pure. Especially with my high school relationships. I was raised to see the good in everyone but I was hurt by that mentality. It’s not that they were a bad person, it just meant we didn’t click. I gave a lot of energy into something that didn’t work. I learned a lot about myself and others.
HC: Single, taken, or complicated?
EW: Taken! She goes to NCAT but we met in high school. We took a short break to get a taste of adulthood when we went to separate colleges. She’s someone I can talk to, be goofy with, and be serious with. I hope everyone finds that person. Relationships are about two people coming together. I don’t necessarily believe in “the one” but there are personalities that fit perfectly together. You have to know yourself and what you want. We’ve both had stuff happen in the past, but it allowed us to come together.
Find out more about Ellis on Twitter(@EllisWoodyard ) and Instagram (@woodyellis11).