Walker Kirby

Classroom

Walker Kirby has maintained a 3.7 cumulative GPA as a student concentrating on economics with a secondary concentration in government. He has accepted a full-time offer as an investment banking analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Character

Kirby’s character shines through in his selflessness as a student-athlete, enthusiastically embracing several position changes for the good of the team. A four-year standout on defense, Kirby has played as a short-stick defensive midfielder, a long-stick midfielder and now as a close defenseman. He has attacked each of these position changes with one goal in mind: What can I do to make my team and my teammates better?

Community

Kirby has immersed himself in a number of community service initiatives beginning the summer after his freshman year when he spent eight weeks in South Africa working at Don McKenzie Hospital helping to treat patients affected by HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis. Following his sophomore year, Kirby served as a proctor and residential advisor for roughly 10 high school students attending Harvard Summer School, during which he hosted study breaks and chaperoned day trips among other duties.

Kirby currently serves on the team’s leadership council and as a community service representative, helping to organize community service opportunities for the team. In this role Kirby has been instrumental in the team’s becoming involved with Team Impact and forming a relationship with a young man afflicted with several ailments. This young man now has his own locker in the locker room and visits for practices, games and team meals. The team also has visited two of the young man’s off-campus baseball games to support him in his own athletic career.

Kirby has also helped to organize youth clinics with Metro Lacrosse, and helped organize the team in support of the One Love Foundation to raise domestic violence awareness. As part of this effort, the team took part in the Yards for Yeardley campaign and played a game at Boston University with a portion of the ticket sales going towards the One Love foundation. In addition, he is a two-year member of Harvard’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Competition

Kirby has been a four-year standout on defense for Harvard, playing short-stick midfielder, long-stick midfielder and close defense. As a junior he was named All-Ivy League Honorable Mention and to the All-NEILA Second Team after posting career-highs with 13 caused turnovers, 33 ground balls and four goals in transition. All of this was done after his latest position change from long-stick midfielder to close defense.

Prior to the 2016 season, Kirby had played in 44 of 45 games during his career, totaling 72 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers.