Yamani Smith-Murrell ’11 was a smart kid, but admits he didn’t always apply himself. But a chance meeting with a Johnson C. Smith University admissions counselor on a “You Can” college tour was the catalyst that would change his life forever.
“Sometimes when you’re coming from places where you don’t see much hope, you don’t think you can go to an institution of higher education, but I knew I had something,” said Smith-Murrell. “I worked my butt off all junior year, and took the SAT and ACT and surprisingly did really well. By my senior year, I made my commitment to go to JCSU.”
After settling into the Queen City, he experienced a culture shock. He didn’t have his mom with him to tell him to get a good night’s rest or to even do his homework.
And while he enjoyed hanging out with his classmates in the dorms, his school work suffered. But when he came back home to learn his mom had taken a second job to support his college career, he buckled down.
“I saw how much she was investing in me and I started to really apply myself and get to know my teachers,” he said. “The Communications Arts department was so revolutionary at that time. No matter what your focus was on, you were going to learn a little bit of everything.”
Smith-Murrell and his classmates, now his business partners, quickly found themselves spending most of their time in the video classroom. They became known around campus for recording Divine Nine step shows and recap videos of University events.
This garnered the attention of their professors, one of whom asked the students to record his wedding video.
“We received a check for what we loved doing and we thought, ‘we might be on to something,’” said Smith-Murrell. “We had built this skillset and the skillset paid. It started to expose us to the value of what we were learning.”
Soon enough, the professor in charge of checking out cameras to the students encouraged Smith-Murrell and his classmates to invest in their business.
When refund checks arrived in the mail, Smith-Murrell used his to purchase his first camera.
While Smith-Murrell found himself connecting to a hobby that became his passion, his family hit tough times.
“There was a point where I was in school and didn’t have a home to go back to,” he said. “I was in school talking to my family as they were moving into a hotel.”
Luckily, a summer internship with the Carolina Panthers had opened up, and Smith-Murrell was quick to apply. After become one of four finalists, he was selected for the coveted role, but had no money or place to stay.
So, he called on a staff member, Terry “Mr. Mac” McPherson, who still serves as JCSU’s director of Residence Life. He exchanged cleaning up around the residence halls over the summer for a place to stay, and had developed a relationship with a member of the cooking staff in the cafeteria who provided him meals.
“Mr. Mac said he was proud of me and said there were a lot of vacancies in the summer,” he said. “In the mornings I’d walk from JCSU to Panther’s Stadium. When I got back, I’d clean the dorms. I became a helper to earn my way to be there and work at my internship.”
During his time with the Panthers, Smith-Murrell learned about editing and different editing systems.
By the time Smith-Murrell was seated in a sea of fellow graduates at his commencement ceremony in 2011, he felt accomplished, especially after seeing many of his own videos projected on a screen overlooking an eager crowd of Smithites.
After graduating, he worked as the official video coordinator for the women’s basketball team and football team at JCSU, but he wasn’t getting paid much. But, he received a call from JCSU inviting him to create videos for the University over the summer, and room and board would be included.
He landed a more permanent position at the University after that summer. He was able to put a down payment on his very own apartment, and continued to work with his business partners, recording events like weddings and a few music videos.
He moved back to California to expand his business, Visionaries United, but often returns to Charlotte for projects. His love for storytelling sparked an interest in short-form documentaries and small business features.
“My favorite part of my job is the people,” he said. “Two projects are rarely the same. You get to meet people and hear their stories and learn about the inspirations they use to fuel their passion.”
“God is everything to me,” he continued, “so I try to look at things from a spiritual aspect as well. A lot of the times, we talk to people and there’s nothing there at first but an idea. I get a chance to sit there and listen to a person speak about a concept and create something visual, something tangible. It’s an amazing and humbling gift knowing that I’m a servant.”
Smith-Murrell’s story inspired Dr. Hamilton Raymond, JCSU’s director of Admissions.
“Hearing Yamani’s story just reconfirms the idea that JCSU is a university that not only cherishes their students but really treats them like family,” said Raymond. “Hearing about all of those individuals that took time out of their day to ensure his collegiate success is heartwarming. JCSU is a university that cares about developing prominent members of society.”
Smith-Murrell encourages students to find something they really love to do, even if they couldn’t get paid for it. He says that will be their passion. Then, they should find someone really successful in that field, make connections and a plan and stick to it.
“Accept the fact that, for a time, you may have to do things like work certain jobs you may not want to do or live way below your means to fuel your passion,” he said. “But also embrace the fact that if you are willing to sacrifice, be disciplined and not give up no matter how hard it gets, you will accomplish whatever you set out to do.”
Johnson C. Smith University's mission is to educate and graduate "highly motivated students who can communicate effectively, think critically and learn independently as well as collaboratively." Smith-Murrell is a prime example of the fulfillment of this mission.
Apply to Johnson C. Smith University today by visiting www.jcsu.edu/apply.
Editor’s note: Yamani Smith-Murrell would like to thank the JCSU faculty and staff, his family, Benjamin F. McQueen III, Kenneth Horne, Travis, Kyle, David McMullen, Tyra, Shakara Hinds, Sabrina Davis, Lance Gill and Dyce Benton for their support and partnership throughout the years.
