Dr. Clement speaking at the Honors Convocation
Charlotte, NC/March 19, 2026 – Johnson C. Smith University celebrated our scholars in Brayboy Gymnasium, as students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, family, and friends gathered to recognize the academic achievements of our highest-performing students.
As part of the opening remarks, Dr. Leslie Clement, director of the University’s Honors Program, reminded students to do four things: honor God, honor themselves, honor their loved ones who supported them, and, finally, honor their HBCU and HBCU family.
Clement also touched on the history of the program, founded by the 11th President of JCSU, Dr. Robert L. Albright, as a means to provide a living and learning environment designed to recruit and cultivate high-achieving students committed to scholarship, leadership, and community engagement.
Since its original inception, the program has changed, most recently through the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative (MREI), which provided funds that allowed for a revitalization and reprioritization of the program.
After the convocation, Clement explained that she is eager to sustain this work beyond 2027, when the MREI grant runs out.
“We’re hoping to start a legacy campaign so that we can sustain the program and that students can continue to receive scholarships and hopefully have a building where they can have a hub to congregate together and to create our intellectual community,” she explained.
A student from the President’s List, representing each of the colleges, also spoke briefly to their fellow scholars, discussing the discipline required to achieve their goals and the growth that has shaped their personal journeys.
Caleb Carr speaking at the Honors Convocation
Caleb Carr, a business administration major representing the College of Business and Professional Studies, shared his story of how he transferred to JCSU from Central Piedmont Community College after feeling that he hadn’t fully lived up to his potential. He set his sights on finance and investment banking, fields he described as highly competitive and sometimes difficult to access.
“JCSU gave me something special, something that can only happen at an HBCU. A network of people who believe in you and care about each other. That culture, that shared belief, reminds us that excellence is not limited by where we come from,” he explained.
Representing the College of Liberal Arts was Kennedy Meador, a senior dance major. She shared with her peers a personal reflection about her perseverance, as well as her faith and community.
Meador noted that all the students in the room knew the feeling of exhaustion from studying and questioning if the long nights were worth it. In the end, though, the celebration of the day was not just about GPA; it was about their ability to persevere.
“Behind every student being recognized today are professors who answered emails past their very clearly stated office hours,” she explained. “Advisors who made sure we stayed on track, families who prayed for us and friends who encouraged when things were difficult.”
Kennedy Meador speaking at the Honors Convocation
Biology major Zoe Migioni represented the College of STEM, reflecting on her academic journey. She reminded the audience of everyone who helped them on the way: family, friends, faculty, mentors and others, noting that no one arrived in the room alone.
“Sometimes the weight of the world truly does feel heavier than our dreams, but moments like today remind us why we started this journey in the first place,” she noted.
She explained that it was stubbornness that made the assembled students able to survive and persevere despite obstacles.
Migioni is also an international student, which has made her academic journey unique.
“It’s honestly beautiful to have grown up in a completely different country, but to be here today and be recognized and speak to people who grew up in a completely different setting. But we are still able to relate to each other’s journeys even though we come from the vastly different backgrounds.”
Dr. Valerie Kinloch, 15th President of Johnson C. Smith University, had the honor of introducing the day’s keynote speaker, James Ely ’88, vice chair of the JCSU Board of Trustees.
After taking a moment to acknowledge everyone who put the program together as well as the students being honored and finally the board members, executive cabinet members, faculty and staff who helped facilitate their educations, Kinloch briefly provided Ely’s bio noting his extensive experience managing strategic partnerships with major national retailors before his retirement in 2022 after 21 years of service at Johnson & Johnson.
Zoe Migioni speaking at the Honors Convocation
“I am excited because in 2021, I had the pleasure of being a board member of the incoming class for the Johnson C. Smith University’s Board of Trustees. He and I entered into that service work together in 2021 before I stepped down [to become university president].”
Ely’s address centered on the fact that you will be honored in life, but you must also turn around and honor others. He explained that while recognition is meaningful, its value is greatest when it inspires service, gratitude and a commitment to uplift others.
He also drew on examples of influential Black leaders and his own journey to show students that those who have others invest in them should one day return that investment in the lives of others.
“Growing up in the 70s, yes, I said the 70s. I was not far removed from the height of the turmoil of the civil rights movement. Early on, my parents made it very clear to me that others had sacrificed, fought and died so that I could have a life with opportunity,” he explained. “I like to say that I was raised by teachers and preachers, people who had expectations of me and for me.”
In addition to the speakers, the JCSU University Choir also sang a pair of selections, “Who Drempt?” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Then the Presidential Scholars, students who have a perfect 4.0 grade point average, were individually called up to the stage to receive a certificate from Dr. Kinloch. This ceremony recognized scholars from the entire 2025-2026 academic year, honoring the 105 Presidential Scholars from Fall 2025 and the 69 from Spring 2026.
Keynote Speaker James Ely '88 speaking at the Honors Convocation
Students on the Dean’s list were also in attendance; those students earned a GPA between 3.0 and 3.9. There were 406 students named to that list in Fall 2025 and 364 in Spring of 2026.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer Patrick Martin closed the ceremony and spoke of his excitement about being able to provide recognition for these high-performing students.
“I really enjoy seeing the excitement of the students, seeing how they take such pride and joy in being recognized for their accomplishments,” he explained. “A lot of these students aren’t in athletics, they aren’t in fraternities or band or choir. This is their Super Bowl, and I’m so happy to be able to offer this to them so that they can share the excitement and enjoyment of what they have accomplished.”
