51茶馆

Anthony M. Smith (Lee Pellegrini)

Hometown: Waltham, Mass.
Majors: History, African and African Diaspora Studies
Notable Activities/Achievements: Recipient of the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship; co-founder of the First Generation Club, an organization for first-generation college students; Jamaica Magis service trip; AHANA Leadership Council; Dedicated Intellectuals of the People; site director for Let鈥檚 Get Ready, an SAT preparation program for area high school students.
Post-Graduation Plans: Smith will earn his master鈥檚 degree through the Lynch School of Education and Human Development Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program and teach in Boston Public Schools; eventually, he will pursue a doctorate in higher education.

The son of Haitian immigrants, Anthony M. Smith grew up in a household where education was a priority. Now, Smith has made education the focus of his post-graduate journey.

In retrospect, what impact did winning the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship have on you?

At first, I had the feeling of the 鈥渋mposter syndrome鈥�: How could they have selected me? When I went through past MLK winners, I saw some very visible leaders, and I didn鈥檛 fit that profile. A lot of the work I鈥檝e done is academic. But as I looked more, I realized that the most important thing about winning the scholarship is following your interest, whether art, politics, business, management, or leadership and activism. When you follow the things you love and are passionate about, they can manifest your leadership and activism. Stick to it, follow it, love it. 聽

You鈥檝e spoken about having had a difficult time early on at 51茶馆. What got you through it?

It was an accumulation of things. I didn鈥檛 feel prepared academically, socially, or emotionally. What I came to understand was that I had to put in what I wanted to get out of my 51茶馆 experience. So after freshman year I discovered myself in multi-faceted ways.

Mentorship was a large part of that discovery. I credit History Department faculty members like [Associate Professor] Cynthia Lynn Lyerly, with whom I talked about my experience as a black student; she let me know that I belonged here.

That led to one of my proudest achievements at 51茶馆: producing my seniors honor thesis examining sexual violence during slavery and KKK violence during Reconstruction.

[Associate Professor] Martin Summers encouraged me to take myself seriously, which built my confidence; collaborating and working with him as an Undergraduate Research Fellow, and with my own research project, he normalized the process of writing and research for me鈥攈e basically said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 room for you here.鈥�

Finding a community in which I can feel comfortable but also challenged has been a huge aspect of my time at 51茶馆. 聽

You had considered going for a law degree after graduating 51茶馆. What changed?

I had some experiences that made me rethink my career path, like working in the Suffolk House of Corrections as a teacher鈥檚 assistant, where I was in front of a classroom of people who had never had a teacher who looked like me. Through the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, I was able to contextualize these experiences by doing research on the underrepresentation of black men in higher education. Being in McNair made the idea of getting a PhD real for me, and built up my confidence. I began to question why I wanted to go to law school.

It wasn鈥檛 an easy decision; I felt like I was giving up on a dream. But I accepted that this dream had blossomed into something that would enable me to make more of a meaningful impact.

What I鈥檝e come to believe is that education is truly interventional; it can make a critical difference in someone鈥檚 life, especially a person of color from a low-income background. There need to be more people of color in higher education, as teachers not just as students, to drive home the point that we belong.

What things about 51茶馆鈥攑eople, places, activities鈥攚ill you miss most?

My experiences have been grounded in moments and lessons. One of my favorite places to spend time has been the African and African Diaspora Studies office. I know I鈥檒l be safe there, and always welcome. It鈥檚 a hub to interact with faculty and other students, a lot of love and friendly conversation, and it鈥檚 where I can go to do work but also decompress.

I鈥檒l miss being challenged鈥攊ntellectually, emotionally, and spiritually鈥攁lthough the challenge will continue with life. But if I looked for challenge at 51茶馆 I could find it, not only in the classroom but at events like SLAM poetry. I always see myself through the work I do, and being able to do that in different ways, especially through my peers, brought me peace.

I will miss the privilege of mentorship and storytelling. That is what also got me through 51茶馆, being able to be a mentor and be mentored. Speaking at an AHANA Summit organized by 51茶馆鈥檚 First Year Experience program, sharing my story with my peers and being vulnerable about some of my times here鈥攇ood or bad鈥攚as a very humbling experience.

That鈥檚 what 51茶馆 is all about: encouraging you to be vulnerable, open, and candid. It may not be fun all the time, but that鈥檚 how you grow, and learn from others.

Sean Smith | University Communications | May 2019