Great Grads 2026: Marvin Brown
Charting a Path of Purpose and Academic Excellence at JCSU
By Cheryl Brayboy Butler
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Marvin Brown walks across the stage of Johnson C. Smith University’s 153 rd Commencement as one of the institution’s top graduates. He will graduate in three years, in the top 2% of his class. The journey of academic achievement and success is just the beginning for Brown. He is heading to a prestigious internship in Washington DC over the summer, and then on to a joint program in law and public policy at one of the nation’s top schools.
Brown’s time at JCSU has been eventful. He arrived as a first-generation college student, and immersed himself in academic and pre-professional pursuits as a James B. Duke Scholar, Honors Program Scholar, McNair Scholar, and recent HBCU Honors Scholar (BET). Brown, a Business Management major with a minor in Global Studies, says the greatest transformation happened internally.
“I always use the word transformative to describe my experience at JCSU,” Brown said. “When I first came to JCSU, I was 17 years old, fresh out of high school and fresh out of Charleston, South Carolina with the deepest Southern accent. I was very quiet. I really didn’t care to be seen or heard.”
The Charleston, South Carolina native recalls arriving on campus shy and reserved, often avoiding the spotlight and public accolades.
“I didn’t even go to Homecoming,” he said with a laugh.
Today, Brown describes himself as a very different person: confident, outspoken and committed to community service, invested in leadership.
“Leaving JCSU, I gained confidence to actually put myself out there and let my voice be heard,” Brown said. “I learned how to advocate for others and for what’s important. I’m leaving as someone who understands the role I want to play in the world and in my community.”
That confidence was built through years of hard work and some struggle. Marvin had to overcome obstacles while navigating unfamiliar territory as a first-generation college student. Raised by his grandmother alongside his younger sisters, Brown said the path to college came without a roadmap.
“My grandmother did not finish the 11th grade, so college was new for both of us,” Brown explained. “We navigated the process with a lot of uncertainty because we didn’t really know how any of it worked.”
Brown said the challenge of being the first person in his family to pursue higher education often came with pressure and responsibility.
“Being a first-generation student was difficult because there was no blueprint,” he said. “I had to learn a lot on my own and figure things out as I went.”
Despite those challenges, Brown flourished academically and professionally at JCSU. He became involved in the University Honors Program and conducted research through the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.
One of the defining moments of his college experience came through international travel in Ghana and Belize and through global scholarship opportunities. Brown studied abroad through the Fulbright-Hays Program and the Council on International Educational Exchange.
“That experience changed my perspective completely,” Brown said. “It expanded my understanding of the world and helped me see how culture, communication and global issues all connect.”
Brown later received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, another U.S. Department of State-funded program that helped support his international studies.
“One of my biggest highlights was studying abroad after my freshman year,” Brown said. “Receiving the Gilman Scholarship helped ease the financial burden and made the opportunity possible.”
Brown also took pride in representing JCSU nationally through HBCU Honors, held in Washington, DC and broadcast on BET. “It meant a lot to represent my HBCU family institution and show people what our students are capable of,” Brown shared proudly.
Now, the JCSU high-achiever is preparing for his next chapter. During the summer of 2026, he will complete an internship with the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C., before beginning law school at Georgetown University, where he also will pursue a master’s degree in Public Policy. The next step, he says, aligns perfectly with the purpose he discovered at JCSU.
“I want to use policy, storytelling and advocacy to make a real impact,” Brown said. “JCSU helped me realize that my voice matters, and now I want to use it to help others.”
Brown says JCSU amplified his position as an emerging American scholar, ready to take on the world.