Dillon Linder didn’t think his career would revolve around being with college students all day.
But today, it’s what he loves to do. Linder is the community director at 55 H St., where he builds community with undergraduate and graduate students living in the Capitol Campus residence hall.
His career of helping students navigate college life is a long shot from his initial path. Linder originally set out to be a lawyer, but quickly realized his heart was not in it. As Linder thought about his career, he knew that his college mentors and student affairs staff from the University of South Carolina made him feel welcomed and cared for.
“I was a first-gen college student, so they provided support in understanding how to navigate institutions, how to care for yourself and how to make value of who you are,” Linder said.
Linder earned his master’s degree in student affairs administration in higher education from Texas A&M University and joined Georgetown in 2023 as the community director of McCarthy and Kennedy Halls. He led more than 600 students and more than a dozen resident assistants on the Hilltop Campus. After two years, he was looking for a new challenge and was excited by the opportunity to build a new community in downtown DC.
As the community director at 55 H St., Linder said that every day is different as he hosts programming in the residence hall to build community, educates students about available resources and works with the Residential Fellows, graduate students who function as hall staff at 55 H St. Now in his second year in downtown DC., he’s eager to meet new students, foster new mentorships between undergraduate and graduate students and connect Hoyas with resources that will help them thrive on the Capitol Campus.
“Our goal is to help students know they belong and they matter,” he said.
Get to know the community builder, why he loves working with Georgetown students and his passion for singing.
How I almost became a lawyer: I ended up going into the legal field for a couple of years [after college]. I used to tell people my heart didn’t sing in that work. From there, I worked in housing and started to see myself in the students I was working with. Some of the struggles were similar. Some of the struggles were different, but understanding the importance of the roles that community directors and higher ed professionals play in students’ lives is something that’s very inspiring. It keeps me in the work; it keeps me supporting students — good days, bad days and all the days in between.
Why I got into student affairs: No one ever goes to college and says, “I want to work with college students for the rest of my life.” But I had some great mentors in undergrad at the University of South Carolina through new student orientation, student conduct and housing who shaped me to be who I am today.
How I see myself in my students: I see students who are eager to change the world. They’re passionate about learning. They’re passionate about connections. Sometimes there are those gaps that students don’t necessarily know how to fill, or there’s a thing that comes up that creates stress or trauma or a need for resources they might not know that they have access to. I see myself as a bridge builder between where students are and where they hope to go. I then coach the students through resources, supports and opportunities to make meaning of their experience.
Why I chose to work at Georgetown: I came out for a campus visit at Georgetown and fell in love with the people, the university and the campus. DC is an incredible place to be and live in. What I didn’t know is how much access there was to our faculty and how much influence the faculty have on things that happen around DC. My faculty-in-residence during my first two years on the Hilltop teaches about terrorism and torture. I was like, “What is this place? How are you teaching freshmen students about terrorism and torture?” The access our students have is truly incredible, and Georgetown teaches them to be good stewards of their educational opportunity.
Why I love being a community director: Every year is so different in what happens, what you respond to, what you see, what you build. Every day is different, depending on what students are experiencing, what they’re going through, which really determines what my day is going to look like in supporting those students.
It’s a great opportunity to live on campus with students. Obviously, the 9-to-5 is usually when people would argue learning happens in college, but being here after hours, seeing the conversations that students are having in the residence hall is learning that goes beyond the classroom.
Why it’s great to live among undergraduate and graduate students: When you have a neighbor who’s a medical student and their roommate’s a law student, and then you have people in public policy, you have undergrads who also look up to these students who have mission and ambition. I think it really does create a culture of change. It puts you in community with people who are ambitious to make a change and gives them the tools, resources and connections to do that, so learning doesn’t just stop at the end of the year. My hope is that their connections and ambitions continue on after their time at 55 H.
My favorite part of living in 55 H: It’s great to be so close to downtown DC. I will often go to things on the Mall. The other day I went to a light show at the Smithsonian Institution that was quite impressive. Oftentimes, I go to after-hours programming at the Air and Space Museum, learning from astronauts, people who develop helicopter drones for Mars. It’s so close to everything, which makes learning and engaging with the offerings quite convenient.
The thing students might not know about the Capitol Campus: This is niche, but one of my favorite things I’ve learned is that Earth Commons has a jellyfish lab at 111 Massachusetts Ave. The programming here is also really cool. In my time at Capitol Campus, Earth Commons has hosted EcoTalks throughout the semester where they bring different professors to discuss their research expertise with anyone interested across Georgetown. There’s often a happy hour afterward, which never hurts.
One of my favorite parts about Capitol Campus is that Student Affairs collaborates with each department and school on the Capitol Campus to bring events, planners and initiatives together to reach our students. This collaboration helps to identify gaps, create new events and initiatives to fill the gaps and ensures each student can find their community!
My summer singing in four different countries: One of my favorite hobbies is singing. I had my solo debut in Italy, sang in Spain, sang in Andorra, sang in Brussels in different choirs. I love music. Music is a way we can transcend the human experience to connect with people through chords, words, sounds — you name it.
My repertoire: Anything pop, religious, high-energy, more classical music. Anything you can sing, I sing. Italian, Latin, German, English. Singing in French is difficult, but occasionally I’ll dust off the cobwebs and sing in French.
I’ve been singing: Since the second grade. I never really stopped. I never auditioned for a choir until I moved to DC. I sing with two different groups regularly. I’m in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC and the Georgetown Chorale. It’s something I spend a lot of my time doing weekly, if not daily.
