Following Senior Dante Barton through the halls of Campus Center, it’s hard to miss calls of “Hi Dante!” and “Oh hey, it’s Dante!” from across atriums and out of offices. It’s no secret that his willingness to help others and contagious smile have made him a campus celebrity.
It’s hard to come up with just one description for Barton. He is a building and events manager, orientation leader, president of the Japanese Language Club and the Caribbean Islands Club, a member of Beacon Voyages for Service and the Pan Asian Committee, and a mentor for the First Year Leadership Institute. He will graduate this fall with a bachelor’s in computer science.
Barton said many don’t realize he’s an international student when they first meet him. He grew up in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean, and moved to Boston in 2019 to attend Bunker Hill Community College. He transferred to UMass Boston in fall of 2022.
He explained that people ask why his English is so good, even though it’s his first language. English is the official language of Antigua and Barbuda.
Barton also speaks Japanese, self-taught over the past three years. This is part of how Barton found community when transferring from Bunker Hill. Barton described his first semester at UMass Boston as “engaging.” He found community by discovering the Japanese Language Club at an involvement fair and joining the executive board as event planner.
Barton emphasized networking, calling it one of the most significant benefits of his time at UMass Boston. “I’ve been able to pull off some insane events on campus just because I knew the right people to talk to at the right time, and it helps speed up the timeline of things a lot faster,” he said.
He said he found it difficult to prove himself and show his capabilities without a strong network when coming to work in a new place.
Barton’s care for networking comes from his social personality and genuine enjoyment of the people in his community. “Essentially, me as a person, I’ve always loved networking, getting to meet new people. Walk into a room, I try my best to speak to as many people as I can, and so I figured the best way to get involved is just to talk to people,” he said. “I figured if I can put myself in a position where I can help someone out — get to the goal that they want to reach — then all the more better, and so that’s what made me decide to get as engaged as possible.”
Barton encourages others, especially new students, to find their place at UMass Boston.
He said, “College life, in general, can be super daunting and super new. There is an infinite number of possibilities out there in the world, and it’s just for you to choose the path that works best for you, and that way, you can create whatever future you want to make.”
