Normally, a stage name is reserved for actors and musicians, but Elhadji Diop has created such a name for himself at Rice. All you have to say is, “Do you know ‘L’?” and most undergraduates will give an enthusiastic affirmation.
‘L’ Diop came to Rice from Atlanta through the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program. “I've been able to get a full ride to the university, which I'm so grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “My parents were ecstatic. Just the opportunity to come to a great university, a great school and a great city and have the space to grow and really learn a lot of things was something I could never, like, be too grateful for.”
The sport management major has maximized his four years at Rice. “I wanted to really explore a lot of different parts of my personality, and I think coming to college was that opportunity to explore all those things,” he said.
Diop can usually be found in the middle of the action, with a camera. “I think the bubble of storytelling is really how I kind of see how everything is put together,” he said. “Whether that's my passion for dance, my passion for my fashion, brand, photography, branding and marketing. I think all those things are very much so encompassed into telling a story, whether that's my story (or) someone else's story.”