Once a Viking, Always a Viking

Kiyomi (“Yomi”) Calloway ’16 epitomized a “well-rounded student” during her time at CH, taking advantage of a wide-range of opportunities and experiences. Starting Campbell Hall in 7th grade, she was a member of BSUG (Black Student Union for Girls) and, as a senior, was a mentor to younger students in the club. By her freshman year, she was already demonstrating her leadership skills and was selected to participate in SDLC (Student Diversity Leadership Conference), an honor usually reserved for upperclassmen. She later served as president of the Diversity Club and president of the Multiethnicity Group, as well as being part of the Human Rights Club, Women’s Rights Club, and Poetry Society. Yomi was involved in cheer, dance, theater, Gospel Choir, soccer, track, cross country, and the equestrian team, all while maintaining an impressive GPA.

Yomi looks back on her CH days fondly, recalling some of her favorite memories including an especially wild senior Spirit Day when she wore a bright blue bodysuit to root on her class during assembly. She can’t help but laugh when she recounts how on one senior prank day, someone had set up a croquet game on the quad which, much to the delight of the students, Mr. Bull played exuberantly. One of her quintessential academic experiences was in Ms. Dorsey’s TV Production class where she and her classmates made a hilarious soap opera episode which was later played in chapel. “That is so Campbell Hall,” Yomi said, “where you are learning at a high level and where free thought is encouraged, but you are able to have so much fun in the process.”

When Yomi was a junior, she was selected to receive the Argyll Academy Scholarship, a grant given to students who exemplify good character, commit to school service, and have the potential for academic achievement. She used the award to attend a summer program at Yale University’s Drama School, where she was able to practice her monologue and learn important audition skills. This experience helped her gain admission to New York University’s iconic and competitive Tisch School of the Arts where she received a B.F.A. in Drama, completing her degree a semester ahead of schedule.

Yomi feels that the preparation she received at Campbell Hall, where she says she was “taught how to make arguments supported by facts,” helped her succeed as a student at NYU and beyond.

Yomi now lives in New York, having settled in a vibrant, family-oriented neighborhood of the Bronx. She is part of an all-female, industry-leading team in global music brand partnerships at United Talent Agency. Yomi explains that her team “helps clients expand their business outside of their main music pursuit and finds ways to support it, partnering with brands to amplify an artist’s message and expanding clients into different verticals of the industry.” Yomi, who is part Japanese, is focused on brand outreach in Asia, specifically Japan where she is able to put some of the language she acquired in Sakamoto sensei’s AP Japanese class to use. She is also working to expand the reach of the Agency, which represents more than 1,500 clients around the world, into Africa which, Yomi noted, is an untapped region for brands.

“I have been able to thrive in my worklife and corporate environment because of the knowledge I gained from Campbell Hall,” Kiyomi said. “I look back on my Campbell Hall experience and realize I was able to do so much and I learned how to make the most of every opportunity.” Most importantly, she noted, “The friends I made have lasted me a lifetime.”