b'COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTSCHANGING THE LIVES OF FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTSBY LYDIA HILL 21F or Brian Smith 92, helping oth- TheSmithsarefirmbelieversin ershasalwaysbeenthegoal.leading by example and serve on Now a successful businessman whothe College of Liberal Arts Devel-startedandsoldhisownwealthopment Council. managementfirm,Brianworked numerous jobs while at Texas A&MWhen we are given opportunities, University to afford his education.we have a responsibility to help oth-This experience instilled in him aers who follow, Brian said. Former desire to give back to help providestudents who came before me set a for future students.greatexampleofleadershipthat challenged me to step up and lead In 2017, he and his wife, Stacy 94,when it was my turn.createdanendowedscholarship for first-generation liberal arts stu- Inspired by a scholarship that Stacy dents. They recently committed areceived at Texas A&M, the cou-planned gift in their wills to expandple also contributed a planned gift the scholarship and create an addi- to the Lead by Example campaign tional merit-based scholarship fortosupporttheSterlingC.Evans students in the college. Support- Library and expand on a scholar-ingfirst-generationstudentsfur- ship they previously created for stu-thersTexasA&Msmissionasadents in the College of Education land-grantuniversitytoprovideand Human Development. educational opportunities for Texas residents, Brian said.Looking back on the impact my scholarship had on me and my fam-Brianspassionforsupportingily, I realized I wanted to provide first-generationstudentswasthat opportunity to others, Stacy inspired by his experience on theexplained.PartofwhatmakesIN THEIR WORDSCapital City A&M Clubs scholar- Texas A&M unique is that students ship committee. There, he helpedcanparticipateinacommunity award a scholarship to a first-gen- thatsbiggerthanthemselvesby"Supporting first-generation eration student who later graduatedpaying it forward.with Phi Beta Kappa honors fromstudents furthers Texas Texas A&M with two degrees and isPlanned giving is a way people canA&Ms mission as a land-now studying at Harvard University. give, even if they do not have the resources today, and make a tre- grant university to provide He is a phenomenal student whomendous difference for Texas A&Meducational opportunities for needed help getting over the hump,over the long term, Brian added. and our clubs scholarship made aI hope our gift will impact TexasTexas residents."tremendous difference for him andA&M by changing the lives of stu-his family, Brian said. dents, one student at a time. Brian Smith 92SPIRIT OF SHARING|LEAD BY EXAMPLE EDITION|17'