Meet A Deac
Note: this is our last Daily Deac for the rest of the calendar year. Wake Forest administrative offices will be closed December 23-January 2. Our After Hours Help page will connect you to resources if you have an urgent need that cannot wait until we reopen on January 3 after the holidays.
Happy Monday, Daily Deacdom! It’s time for a new edition of Meet A Deac! Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to one of my colleagues from the Office of Residence Life and Housing, Derenzo Thomas. 
Derenzo, I’m glad you could join us as this week’s Meet A Deac! Let’s start at the beginning: tell me your job title and how long you’ve been at Wake. My title is Community Director, and I work in the Office of Residence Life and Housing. I have been working at Wake Forest now for just over a year. I started on December 6, 2021.
We are glad to have you here! Can you tell me a little about your educational background? I have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bethune-Cookman University and a Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from Georgia Southern University. I am getting ready to begin my Doctoral degree in January: I will be pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational/Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova-Southeastern University.
Congratulations on your doctoral journey! Can you please tell me how you would describe your job in layperson’s terms? I serve as the Community Director for Angelou Hall and Collins Hall, which represents a sizable part of our first-year student population. I oversee 17 paraprofessional staff members, including one Graduate Hall Director. 
What would you like families to know about the work of your office that they may not realize? I want people to know that we do our best to ensure we make the halls feel like home and provide an inclusive atmosphere to foster relationships among faculty, staff, and students.
You’re still new-ish to Wake…have you already formed thoughts on what you like best about working here, or your favorite place on campus? For what I like best, I love my department’s atmosphere. It is really a supportive department with so many opportunities to grow and learn. The gym is my favorite place on campus. The staff and faculty come together daily during lunch to play pick-up basketball. I genuinely feel it is an excellent way to network with different campus colleagues. 
What advice would you offer to students if they asked you? Believe in yourself and never give up on your dreams.
Are you ready for the quick hit, lightning round?
Book(s) you are reading, podcast(s) you are listening to? Right now I am reading Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. My favorite podcast is The Pivot. 
Favorite music/genre/band? I like to listen to R&B.
Movies/TV/Netflix, etc. that you love: London Has Fallen. 
Introvert or extrovert? Extrovert.
Something most people don’t know about you? I very much love the game of golf! I almost attended Florida Gulf Coast University to become a Professional Caddy, and the institution had a PGA program. 
Thank you, Derenzo, for all you do to partner with our new students in their journey to find home, and for all you bring to our campus community!
As a reminder, read past Meet A Deacs here.