In the summers, he could be seen topping tobacco in the fields of Mount Olive, N.C., but in the fall, he’d be busy studying political science in his dorm in Hewlett Hall at UNC Wilmington.

Representative John R. Bell IV, 37, is no stranger to hard work, whether it is in the tobacco fields, at university, or now as Majority Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Likewise, he is no stranger to the university that helped him get there.

“I’ve learned a lot about hard work,” said Bell, a 2001 graduate of UNC Wilmington, in an interview with The Seahawk as he recalls going through the veritable hell and high waters while pursuing his degree in criminal justice.

Bell spent some of his time with UNCW as he contributed to the construction on the intramural fields and transferring the old student recreational center from Trask Coliseum to the present one.

In 1999, Bell also rode out hurricanes Bertha and Fran, which led to him helping to lay ditches in the fields because of flooding.

Serving on nine committees during his freshman term of the General Assembly, Bell set aside time to cater food to his fellow UNCW peers.

“I have delivered pizza on UNCW campus,” he says with a laugh.

But Bell is not bitter about his extracurricular involvement during his undergraduate study. Instead, he says that these experiences outside the classroom helped prime him for the both the government position he holds today as well as the diverse positions he has held after graduation.

He began his career with the Boy Scouts of America and served Duplin and Samson Counties, according to the North Carolina House District 10 website.

After moving to Panama City, the “financial industry brought him back to Wayne County where he is currently the Manager of Sales and Business Development for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union in Goldsboro,” says the site.

At UNCW, Bell’s experiences in and out of the classroom taught him time management and how to address people from different “walks of life,” he says.

To him, it was worth it to attend the university from which so many in his family had graduated, including his mother, uncle and sister.

He considered himself “very blessed to get into UNCW,” he says. In fact, he hopes to extend the UNCW legacy with his daughter, Avery, who was dressed in UNCW cheerleading regalia at a recent event held in Trask Coliseum.

“I’ve already started,” Bell says. “I would love to see her go to UNCW.”

But extracurricular interests are not what stand out to Bell about his alma mater. In particular, Bell can recall courses with sociology and criminology professor Dr. Mike Adams as helpful to his academic career.

“[UNCW] does very well academically,” he says. “UNCW [has] always been a hidden gem in North Carolina.”

And, with the installation of Dr. Jose V. Sartarelli as UNCW’s chancellor, Bell has high hopes for his alma mater. 

“I think we’ve got the right man in place,” he says. “He has a vision of, ‘Why not?’” 

Bell is optimistic about both his past and present experiences at UNCW and believes brighter days are soon to come for the university.

“I’m looking forward to what happens next,” he says.