Former KC athlete Chadwayne Walker hangs up spikes to become district attorney in US
Published:Sunday | March 23, 2025 | 9:36 PMRochelle Clayton/Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
Less than 10 years after graduating high school, Chadwayne Walker, a decorated former Kingston College (KC) track athlete, has traded his spikes for a briefcase and a career as a district attorney in Kansas City, United States (US).
Walker attended KC until 2015, when he graduated and was awarded a full track and field scholarship to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).
Then only 19 years old, an eager Walker journeyed to the US-based institution with the goal of becoming an attorney – a dream he had harboured since childhood as his father Clive Walker is a lawyer.
Through his talent on the field, Walker was able to secure multiple scholarships to attain this dream of arguing in a courtroom. He obtained a doctorate in law in addition to a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminology at the Missouri-based university. Walker also told The Gleaner that he was the first black president of the UMKC School of Law. Speaking with The Gleaner last week, Walker reflected on his journey since he last competed in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championship.
He explained how the decision to accept an offer from UMKC was primarily made based on the availability of a law school on its campus. Though he was accepting a sporting scholarship, the youngster used the opportunity to look beyond the track and towards a fulfilling career.
“I was being sought after by a few schools – big schools, medium schools and small schools. The bigger schools, the money that they were offering was a lot less because, of course, they are more recognised and have access to a lot of talents,” he shared.
“But then I noticed one of the schools I got an offer from, gave me a full ride, right? Tuition along with room and board. And then on top of that, I would have been one of their top athletes, so immediately I could tell that I would be appreciated if I went there, based on the offer that I received and the talents that they had.”
Walker continued, “On top of that, they had a law school, right? And for me, I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. So, any offer that I took, they would have to have a law school. So I received that offer and went to UMKC in 2015.”
FIRST JAMAICAN PRESIDENT OF THE UMKC LAW SCHOOL
The student athlete’s university career saw him competing in the 100m and 200m races, and their respective relay events. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 placed a damper on this. Walker told The Gleaner that this prompted the school administrators to then offer him another scholarship for his master’s degree.
“I was the 100m school record holder. I won numerous championships. I built a reputation as a good athlete, but also, a good student. When you’re in the States, you only get to compete for four years, but COVID came and that would have been my last year,” he said.
“The programme was suspended and my school was trying to figure out a way they could keep me around since there were no competitions. They kept me around and paid for my master’s degree. I graduated with my master’s degree in 2020, and I started law school in January 2021.”
Walker pointed out that his doctorate in law was also sponsored by the school; however, this time he was able to receive an academic scholarship based on his ineligibility as a collegiate athlete.
Joking that this was now his first time as a “regular student”, Walker told The Gleaner that he sought other activities to fill the gap that track and field had left. Walker’s next side mission came after he decided to become the first black president of his law school. In achieving this goal, the former KC athlete also became the first Jamaican president of the UMKC law school.
“My school had a year group photo across the campus, so you were able to see each graduating class since the school was established, and the presidents of the law school, they are usually in the middle, next to the dean. I realised that I wasn’t seeing any presidents who were black. By then, track and field was done. I was just a regular student, and I’ve never really been a regular student before – I have always been doing sports,” said Walker.
“But now, sports is in the past. I’m getting older and a lot slower, so I was wondering what I could do to occupy my time and still make a difference. So I became the first black president at that law school.”
PARENTS DID NOT ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY
Meanwhile, Walker credited the dedication and guidance from his parents for his perseverance through his studies. The former athlete told The Gleaner that he was never “the smartest in any room”, but that his parents did not accept mediocrity from any of their three children.
“I repeated the sixth grade. When I got to KC, and reached the seventh grade, I was getting grades in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. I think by the time I got to grade nine, and you had selected subjects for the 10th grade, I kind of pieced it together, and my grades got better… . I think by the time I got to law school, I was among the smartest people in the room, but at first it was definitely a struggle,” he said.
Though proud of his achievements as a decorated student athlete, both locally and in Kansas City, Walker is also encouraging youngsters to look beyond the track as he did.
“Track and field doesn’t last forever and I think, as Jamaicans, we’re blessed to have the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Championships that allow us to get viewed by overseas universities,” said the 29-year-old.
“I think we should continue to take advantage of those things but, at the same time, track and field doesn’t last forever, and there can only be so many Olympians. When track and field is done, ensure that you have something to show for your hard work, and the safest thing is education. Nobody can take that away from you.”.