Camille Hampton '94
Looking to get in contact with other Burke’s graduates in your field? Then Camille Hampton ’94 has the solution for you. As the force behind Burke’s new Alumnae Mentorship Network, she is passionate about connecting professional women for everyone’s benefit. (Learn more at kdbs.org/mentorship!)
As for her own path, she’s taken an interesting one — while she works in finance as a Business Banking Relationship Manager at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, she was previously a dancer with the Golden State Warriors (1999-2000) and the Sacramento Kings (2003-2008)! Her passion for supporting women's professional development was key when she recently served on a mentoring committee for one of her company's largest women's affinity networks, placing 500 participants in mentorship relationships and groups, as well as developing all aspects of the program. Camille has a true Burke’s sister in Avril Hampton Zermeño ’91, and she is also a graduate of Lowell High School and the University of San Francisco.
When you were a student at Burke’s, what did you dream you’d be doing at this point in your life? In Upper School, I remember we each created an illustrated timeline of our lives — past, present, and future. It was like the throwback version of a modern-day vision board. I loved the project because I learned how to identify and conceptualize what I wanted to achieve in life. I’m proud to say I’ve met most of those goals: I’m a college-educated black woman with a rewarding career in finance; I’ve traveled the world as a professional dancer and choreographer for the National Basketball Association (NBA); and most importantly, I have a beautiful, loving family.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you hear “Katherine Delmar Burke School”? When I think of Burke’s, the word “sisterhood” immediately comes to mind. Burke’s students and alumnae represent a very powerful network of capable, resourceful women across a multitude of generations. I think of women and girls with strong personal identities who learn to be inquisitive thinkers very early in their lives, and rightfully so. We’re an extremely close-knit, supportive community, and personally, I feel very blessed to be a part of it.
What is something you learned at Burke’s that you still carry with you today? Burke’s taught me so many important foundational skills, such as resilience, teamwork (I love sports), and the art of being multidimensional.
How would you encourage Burke’s students and fellow alumnae to give back to Burke’s? I think it’s important to challenge the idea that giving back is only meaningful in a financial capacity. I believe the great work being done at Burke’s is actually gifted through time and love, rather than financial resources. With that, I encourage current students and alumnae to consider all of the ways we can preserve what Burke’s represents to the broader community. Pay it forward by volunteering your time on campus, or by joining our newly established Alumnae Mentorship Network to positively impact the life of a fellow Burke’s community member.
What Burke’s experiences do you attribute to your personal or professional success? Success is relative, but overall, I think the communication skills I developed throughout my years at Burke’s have set me apart when the stakes are high.
If you had it to do all over again, your time at Burke’s and since, what might you do differently? We all go through those inevitable stages of sheer awkwardness, but if I had to relive my past, I would approach life with more confidence. Not with the false confidence we see in today’s digital world; rather, through the power of unapologetic self-worth — which I discovered much later in life.
Back
When you were a student at Burke’s, what did you dream you’d be doing at this point in your life? In Upper School, I remember we each created an illustrated timeline of our lives — past, present, and future. It was like the throwback version of a modern-day vision board. I loved the project because I learned how to identify and conceptualize what I wanted to achieve in life. I’m proud to say I’ve met most of those goals: I’m a college-educated black woman with a rewarding career in finance; I’ve traveled the world as a professional dancer and choreographer for the National Basketball Association (NBA); and most importantly, I have a beautiful, loving family.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you hear “Katherine Delmar Burke School”? When I think of Burke’s, the word “sisterhood” immediately comes to mind. Burke’s students and alumnae represent a very powerful network of capable, resourceful women across a multitude of generations. I think of women and girls with strong personal identities who learn to be inquisitive thinkers very early in their lives, and rightfully so. We’re an extremely close-knit, supportive community, and personally, I feel very blessed to be a part of it.
What is something you learned at Burke’s that you still carry with you today? Burke’s taught me so many important foundational skills, such as resilience, teamwork (I love sports), and the art of being multidimensional.
How would you encourage Burke’s students and fellow alumnae to give back to Burke’s? I think it’s important to challenge the idea that giving back is only meaningful in a financial capacity. I believe the great work being done at Burke’s is actually gifted through time and love, rather than financial resources. With that, I encourage current students and alumnae to consider all of the ways we can preserve what Burke’s represents to the broader community. Pay it forward by volunteering your time on campus, or by joining our newly established Alumnae Mentorship Network to positively impact the life of a fellow Burke’s community member.
What Burke’s experiences do you attribute to your personal or professional success? Success is relative, but overall, I think the communication skills I developed throughout my years at Burke’s have set me apart when the stakes are high.
If you had it to do all over again, your time at Burke’s and since, what might you do differently? We all go through those inevitable stages of sheer awkwardness, but if I had to relive my past, I would approach life with more confidence. Not with the false confidence we see in today’s digital world; rather, through the power of unapologetic self-worth — which I discovered much later in life.