When he was a child, he said he wanted to be a lawyer. Now, he spends most of his day on the Kansas State campus putting events together for students and alumni alike. Marcus Kidd became the assistant director of student programs with the K-State Alumni Association in 2016, but has lived in Manhattan his whole life.
“My parents met when they were in the military, which is what brought them to Manhattan,” Kidd said. “Fort Riley is in our backyard. I was born at the Fort Riley hospital.”
From being a lawyer to pursuing a degree in education at K-State to working on his masters in counseling and student development, Kidd said he wanted to work with people.
“I hoped to assume a position of administration at a college institution,” Kidd said. “I knew that what I would probably be asked to do had to do with my programming and kind of what the job description is like for this position. That’s honestly what attracted me to it.”
Kidd’s job requires him to spend most of his time working with students. He said, despite being busy sometimes, he tries to maintain a positive influence.
“Working with a lot of students, I have to be on my A game a lot of the time, and I need to be able to help encourage them and inspire them,” Kidd said. “[I try to do] that through the energy and passion I have for doing the work that we do.”
The Alumni Association is not just for alumni. According to their website, they serve all of those who make up the Wildcat Community, including students, staff and faculty. Kidd said part of why he likes his job is the opportunity to engage with many different students in different programs to coordinate various events.
Out of all of the events he plans in his position, Kidd said his favorite is Homecoming, which is just around the corner for K-State. Kidd also said he wants people to know there is a lot of work that goes into producing these programs.
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“I work really hard and the students work really hard to put on amazing events for people to enjoy, alumni and students alike.” Kidd said. “If one person had a good time, that’s what made it worth it. I think that if we’re able to fulfil our mission of establishing connections then we have accomplished our goal.”
