If Masaka switched places with Dr. Arnn for a day, he would drive Arnn’s Cybertruck and interrupt classes.
Courtesy | Mark Masaka

Mark Masaka, also known as “bucket hat guy,”  is a senior from Chicago, IL and Terre Haute, IN studying English and theology. He is a member of the track and cross country teams and runs the 800-meter and is the president of the Student Athletic Advisory.

When did you start wearing bucket hats?

I started freshman year, literally the first day I arrived on campus. An older friend told me you need a personality in college. I was like, ‘Oh, I have a bucket hat from Italy, I’ll just wear that.’ So it was just supposed to be the one bucket hat, but then I was given like, three within the first month, and it sort of moved from there. So now, I haven’t counted, but I know I have at least 40.

What’s your favorite hat in your collection?

I like my two from Italy: the banana and the avocado. People like the space one a lot. I think out of all of them, people have commented on that one the most. It’s not my favorite, but I was just surprised. And then also the modern art one. 

What percentage of campus do you think knows you as bucket hat guy?

I would say probably 100%, because I don’t think there’s really anybody who’s seen me without one. I do swap it out with a cap for Mass, and that’s just to be more reverent. Now I do baseball hats for running.

You’re the oldest of six. Who’s your favorite sibling and why?

This one’s a hard one. Probably Nicole, mainly because she took up the responsibility of being the oldest child. I’m still the oldest child by name, and I feel like I still have all the authority of the oldest child. But all the work of the oldest child went to her.

What was the best lie you told as a kid?

That I literally grew up in a hut in Kenya and then I moved here. But I think the most impressive rumor that I heard about me was that I moved from Kenya to the U.S. right before middle school, which was why I was really fast. I learned that when I went to the public high school for a semester, everybody in the whole county thought that. But I actually moved when I was 3.

What is the funniest mistake you made as an underclassman?

Both the funniest and most serious mistake I made was getting a D in Great Books I. I took Lindley. I remember looking at the comments on my final paper, which was not good. And then I took Lindley again and made the exact same mistakes in Great Books II. So yeah, I probably just should have taken an easier professor. 

Where do you want to be in 50 years?

The biggest thing is that I’d like to have a lot of connections, so that I don’t have to actually own a lot of the places I stay. But I’d also like to own some stuff so I can return the favor. So I’ll probably be chilling at one of my friend’s country clubs, hopefully with a wife.