DAILY CLIPS COVER - East Carolina University

Tremayne bought extra copies of his diploma and is having them framed to present to
each member of his family.
He is making that gesture because completing his college education was a family project,
Smith said. His great-great-grandmother was a slave and his mother, his grandmothers
and his aunts have stressed education as the path to a life of success.
“A lot of them did not have the opportunity to do this, and every step I took, they held
their breath,” Smith said. “They have been beside me all the way.”
The latest tracking numbers from the U.S. Department of Education show that
nationwide, 36 percent of African-American men who enroll in college in NCAA
Division 1 schools complete a degree in six years.
The low rank of that completion rate helped feed Smith's determination, he said
“On a very personal note, being an African-American, and especially a male, there's a lot
of ‘I'm a victim' attitude out there and I think that's the wrong point of view,” Smith said.
“The attitude should be ‘I am succeeding in spite of' … fill in the blank: numbers,
attitudes, whatever.”
“I approached college in this way,” he said.
Smith said he also has taken advantage of opportunities when they arose. “I was not
afraid to go outside of my comfort zone and do things I've never done; join the band, get
involved in student government,” he said.
‘Tomorrow's leader'
Smith offers three pieces of advice for students struggling, as he has, to reach a
milestone.
The first, he said, is trust in God. The second: Surround yourself with people you want to
be like. The third: “Just know you can do it and get to working and do it,” he said.
Smith has been visible as SGA president for ECU's 28,000 students, urging students to
involve themselves in diverse aspects of campus life. His next stop is Capitol Hill, where
he will work for the office of Sen. Kay Hagan as an intern. He plans to give law school a
hard look.
Smith's strong core values, his hard work and his undergraduate education have
positioned him for success, said Steve Ballard, ECU's chancellor.
“ECU prides itself in being the leadership university and training tomorrow's leaders,”
said Ballard. “Tremayne Smith is the best example I know of tomorrow's leader.”
Meanwhile, Smith is enjoying his family's moment of pride.
“They are beside themselves,” he said. “It's been a long journey.”