WASHINGTON (June 30, 2026) – Howard University Department of Athletics continues its senior spotlight series with cross country standout Kobe Hutson (Bridgetown, Barbados), who sat down with rising junior sport management major Erin Fitzgerald.
 
Q: Initially, coming to a university over 1,000 miles from your home, how did Howard make you feel?
A: [To be honest] I did not want to come to overseas to attend college because I wanted to stay home. I had a nice home where my parents provided everything. So, going away would make me feel alone and I did not know how to handle that, but luckily for me, I was on the track team.
 
So, coming onto the track team, I did not really have to look for friends or look too far for connections. There was a whole community that was built already with shared interest being on the track team that I was able to fit in. I did not really have to go too far to feel at home or have friends. I was not alone. The track team really made me feel included.
 
Q: Is there anything you want to be remembered for during your time at Howard?
A: (Honestly) I just want to be remembered as somebody that was resilient and respected. I was an average student-athlete, but I was able to contribute in a small but meaningful way both in the classroom and on the track. I made those around me better.
 
Q: What is your favorite memory with the team?
A: There are so many great memories with the team, but my favorite memory with the team is traveling because of the comradery. When we travel, it is a lot of us on a bus for a long period of time, so we would talk and joke. We would go to team breakfast, lunches and dinners, I am really going to miss that. It is those memories you remember more than being on the track.
 
Q: One moment from your time at Howard that will always stay with you?
A: My junior year where we ran indoor at the conference championships and I broke the school's 800-meter record. That really meant a lot because I was a walk-on and my first two years were tough. My coaches believed in me and kept me around.
 
Q: How has running at Howard grown or maintained your love of running?
A: It definitely maintained my love of the sport because track is a lonely sport. Howard is a really great team and a great group of people because everybody supports each other. My interaction with my teammates kept me motivated.
 
Q: Advice for future international student-athletes at Howard?
A: I have a lot of advice for future international student-athletes, but my main advice is put your best foot forward in the classroom and prioritize what is important to you.
 
Q: Did attending Howard alter the future you envisioned for yourself? If so, how?
A: Yes, because I came from a small country and Howard is in Washington, D.C., and America is a much bigger country. So, it opened my eyes to a whole different group of people. Howard opened my eyes to what is out there.
 
Also, a big thank you to the Howard School of Business, all the CC events and all the people. My friends who did their internships at places like Wells Fargo or Lockheed Martin really just opened my eyes that there is more out there than just Barbados and the hospitality industry.
 
Q: What are your future plans as a recently minted Howard University alumnus?
A: I am back home in Barbados now and my Howard University education will open a lot of doors for me. I graduated with my degree in business management and my parents work in the hospitality industry, so they have a hotel and restaurant. My goal is to work in tourism and the hospitality industry as well. In Barbados, I want to use my experience at Howard and bring it back to Barbados. I want to contribute to my country anyway I can.
 
About Hutson

• Personal:
  • Hometown: Bridgetown, Barbados
  • Major: Business Management
• Academic Accomplishments at Howard:
  • MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Cross Country All-Academic Team three times
  • MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team (2025)

 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.