With Commencement just around the corner, High Point University seniors are preparing to commence prestigious career paths around the world at Fortune 500 companies, international service programs, public school systems, top-tier law, medical and graduate school programs, and many other esteemed organizations thanks to their journey at HPU. Here’s a glimpse of one extraordinary senior from the Class of 2016:
Name: Shane Smith
Hometown: Ewing, New Jersey
Major: Smith graduated with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting on May 7.
Post-graduation plans: Smith was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He will begin training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma to become a Field Artillery officer, and afterward will transfer to a platoon to lead a group of soldiers on a line of artillery.
How HPU helped you get there: “HPU was HUGE in getting me to where I am now. Included in all of the hard skills that HPU has given me like a great accounting education through a stellar department, it really focused on the soft skills, especially professional image. How to carry yourself is a universal skill, regardless if you’re working at a Big Four accounting firm, or leading soldiers in the United States Army.“
Most impactful mentor at HPU: “My most impactful mentor would be professor Scott Davis. He knew that his classes were hard. Professor Davis expected you to rise to the occasion, to perform under the pressure. He treated you like a future peer in the accounting profession. We would take time to talk about professional standards and what employers wanted from new professionals. He didn’t just focus on the accounting profession, but rather a way that no matter where your career path led, you could still relate what he was saying.”
Most impactful moment at HPU: “My most impactful moment was listening to Colin Powell at graduation in 2014. He talked about character – about standing up for what you believed in, and taking control of situations. To hear his story of starting out as a Second Lieutenant, as I will, and becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State was amazing. It was overall an energizing moment in my college career to learn as much as possible, and to go as far as possible.“
Advice for underclassmen: “Take time at the activities fair. Make eye contact with every booth, and check it out. Talk to the person there. This is where you will meet friends, and find clubs and groups that you would like to join, which will give you opportunities later. It is a great way to network with other students. Without this approach, I would have never talked to Cadet (now Lieutenant) Garrity, and would not have become an Officer in the U.S. Army today.”