Martin Hunt Jr. '17 Honored by Columbia University

“Receiving this award is one of the best moments of my undergraduate career and a great way to start my Columbia alumni journey. Bill Campbell was one of Columbia’s most distinguished alumni, so to be given an award in his name leaves me speechless.”

A Hockessin, Delaware native, Martin is receiving degrees in both History and Business Management. He’s a leadership team member of the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee, active in the College’s Student Ambassador Program, and founded the Columbia Black Finance Group.

Reflecting on his educational journey, Martin notes, “During both high school and college, I made it a priority to focus on creating genuine relationships in my life: friendships, mentorships, and partnerships. This allowed me to get a really good idea of how I could be of the most service to the University community, and execute on that.” 

After graduating from Sanford School in 2017, Martin served as a full-time firefighter and EMT in his community in Delaware and has continued to serve during school breaks and the pandemic.

“Sanford helped me have the confidence to approach just about anyone and ask them for help or ask them to share their perspective on a topic,” says Martin about his high school experience.

What’s next? He will be working at Goldman Sachs as a private equity investment analyst in New York. Martin shared: “I will be evaluating companies in a variety of industries—including technology, consumer products, and energy— that Goldman Sachs is considering investing in. Over the last four years, I have loved living in New York, and I look forward to continuing my post-grad journey here.

“One of the best pieces of advice I received early in college was to pave my own path—and not look at what those before me did and try to follow it step-by-step. I realized that there are many different paths to get where you want to go.

“I wholeheartedly believe that if you focus on building genuine relationships, put yourself in a position to try new things, and have fun along the way, you’ll also end up somewhere that makes you feel fulfilled and surrounded by people who support and nurture you.”