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Reco Collins ’05 says when meets new people, skin color goes into the background as he looks at the individuals beneath. He developed the ability at Lafayette and uses it every day as an account manager for M&T Bank in Baltimore.

  • The McDonogh Report celebrates the contributions of African Americans to the Lafayette community.

“When I came to Lafayette, I hadn’t been exposed to many different cultures because I’d lived in a homogenous environment,” says Collins, who grew up outside Atlanta in Decatur. “For a year football was my life, but when I got injured and could no longer play, I still wanted to make a difference on campus. So I stepped out of my comfort zone, interacting with others and giving them all respect, and I began to realize we’re all just human. This allowed me to appreciate other cultures, to view myself as more than one thing, and to dream bigger.”

During his presidency of the Brothers of Lafayette the group worked with other campus organizations to make a positive impact on youth in Easton. “Coming from the inner city, I understand the importance of the younger generation having someone to look up to.”

He received the David A. Portlock Award for promoting cross-cultural relationships. Portlock served 26 years as a College administrator and was associate dean of academics at the time of his death in 1996. In 1970, he established Lafayette’s black cultural center, which was dedicated as the David A. Portlock Black Cultural Center in 1999.

“I wanted to uplift the community, and I value knowing that I left a mark on campus,” Collins says, adding, “It was a smooth transition to the corporate world. You simply can’t make prejudgments about people. I went through the management-training program with 58 other students from all walks of life. One thing everyone took home is that it doesn’t matter what a person did before he or she got there. Everyone walked in with a clean slate, and that’s how I manage all situations.”

Categorized in: Alumni Profiles