Last updated: August 8, 2020
On my recent Wake Forest University campus tour, I got the chance to visit some of my favorite places.
I graduated from Wake Forest in 2004. Is the video not shown above? You can also watch it here:
My Campus Tour at Wake Forest
Good morning! I think today is going to be a really interesting day and I’m going to videotape it. Hello from Winston-Salem, North Carolina where I am visiting my alma mater, Wake Forest University.
This is the hotel they set me up at called Gralyn, a huge castle like building where I had breakfast. I have to film this breakfast to show you. I got a delicious omelet from the super cool chef guy.
Then we drove on to campus and I got all these feelings of nostalgia. This is the library where I used to work as a student and the most picturesque building, that’s the chapel, but my meetings are in here: Reynolda Hall at Wake Forest.
Dr. Tom Phillips
So let’s go in. I had a meeting with the scholarship coordinator who helped me get a scholarship, Dr. Tom Phillips from Wake Forest Scholars.
His office is incredible. Look at these pieces all over his office. It’s like a little museum. Things from Vienna which he loves.
Here he is. Hello, I’m here with Dr. Tom Phillips who has the coolest office on all of campus. He helped me with my scholarship when I was a student here. It was a labor of love of course. (I also worked on my BuddyGopher project there, which involved AOL Instant Messenger.)
Dr. Phillips said, “Nick Gray, being of course the most interesting man in the world.” Thank you!
WFU Business School
Next meeting was the main event. This is why I came to Wake Forest.
Alright, I’m here with Dan whose in charge of the center. Dan, where are we at? We’re at Wake Forest Center for Entrepreneurship. Dan invited me to speak to his class and work with some of his students to give them feedback on their business ideas so here I am getting ready to go up. Dan is introducing me and then I made my regular speech. It was awesome!
Hey, quick survey. I just talked. How did my speech go? Very well! It was a lot of fun. Enjoyed it as always.
Thank you! Dan, how’d it go? Awesome! Great time. Learned a lot. I really loved meeting all these students and hearing their business ideas and talking to them in the hallways between classes. Probably the most engaging speaker and it put me in a great mood for the rest of the day. Thank you! High five! Professor Nick Gray! Why do you think this is a good one? Professor Nick Gray! What? I think this is a terrible one! I think it is a great one!
We had a lot of fun and then afterward we filmed some videos outside.
Center for Entrepreneurship at Wake Forest University
Good morning! I’m filming here. This is Jen from the Center for Entrepreneurship and this is Hayden and we are going to film this beautiful Wait Chapel behind me.
Wow. I graduated in 2004 and to be back on a campus with college students to see how much my school had grown, it was awesome!
This is Dr. Page West. He was the Entrepreneurship guy when I was in school there. It was neat to catch up with him and think about how he supported me. I got invited to swing by the Scales Art Center (where the Lilting Banshees used to rehearse) by these great people to see their gallery that they had on campus.
Reynolda House Museum
Quick status updates. It’s about 3:30 pm. I’m going to the Reynolda House now. I love being on campus. This is the Reynolda House which is this beautiful house built in the 1920’s and 30’s that was originally created by the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.
I just love this house. Look, here is R.J. Reynolds and really thought it was his wife Katherine Smith Reynold’s who started the whole place. Fun fact!
I’m at the Reynolda House. This is Ashley. And what is one fun fact that everyone should know about Katherine Smith Reynolds and R.J. Reynolds, founders of the Reynolda House?
One fun fact is that when they were courting, R.J. Reynolds would bring Katherine fresh milk. Fresh milk? Yes. Not fresh eggs, not fresh flowers. Nope. Fresh milk.
New Reynolda House app launches. That’s right. June 2nd, 2018 you’ll have new stories and new ways to experience this place called Reynolda. Sarah and the team at Reynolda house have been big supporters of my company Museum Hack since the early days. Thank you very much!
Lilting Banshees Comedy Troupe
After that, I walked up to Wake Forest University campus and I met up with a comedy troupe. The Lilting Banshees who let me help run an improv game to start their meeting.
Related article: Lilting Banshees 25th Reunion at Wake Forest University
One! White! Two! Green! The Lilting Banshees are a sketch comedy troupe at Wake Forest University and I was a member. They let me actually come to one of their writing meetings and I got to be a part of a writing group and listen to them do live readings. It was so much fun. Look how much fun they’re having. I was reminded how it feels to be part of a creative group on a college campus.
I’m back in my hotel room now. It’s almost ten o’clock at night. I had such a great day at Wake Forest University. Thanks, everybody!