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I love the energy of being on campus. I have the ability to do things, change things, implement things that I want to see.”

Bomani McClendon

Bomani McClendon

Bomani McClendon has always been interested in new experiences and new ideas. It's one of the reasons the Tennessee native chose Northwestern. "I really liked the idea of coming to a city different from Nashville." He also came for the music scene. "I love live music and get to see more big musicians here."

Now a junior, McClendon has pursued his interest in innovation and love of music. He is studying computer science and applying his engineering skills at Medill's Knight Lab for Innovation, which helps create new storytelling tools through technology. McClendon has been working on building a database that categorizes podcast feeds by topic to change the way listeners discover new series and producers. 

McClendon has also been using his love of music to make his own changes to the Northwestern community. As a freshman, he co-founded a student organization that organizes freestyle sessions and other hip-hop activities. Now he also hosts Dial Up Radio, an experimental radio show on WNUR that plays underrepresented music from global artists. "My partners and I just like to try new things and mess around with it," says McClendon.

He is determined to keep trying new things as a student. "I was not as hopeful of making a change in the world when I was a kid in Nashville. But college is a microcosm of the world" says McClendon. "If I have an idea, I can implement it in a safe place with a network and I see things happen so quickly."

  • Nashville native
  • Computer Science major
  • DJ at WNUR
  • Student fellow at Medill's Knight Lab
  • GrubHub intern
  • Vice President of Technology for Northwestern Student Holdings
  • Co-founder of DOJO (Don't Only Just Observe), a student hip-hop organization
  • Live music fan
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