We were lucky to catch up with Bernard Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bernard, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents let me figure things out. This helps with my competence and confidence in the real world because life requires the ability to solve problems and make decisions. Sometimes situations become uncertain, time-pressured, and intense. When I was growing up, the path to get where I am wasn’t exactly direct, and some days I can hardly believe I made it this far. After all, my only reference point for technology was the Xbox I played at my friends’ houses.
When I was growing up in Fort Pierce, Florida, we didn’t have a lot. My mom & dad worked three jobs. Yet, my eight sisters and I still didn’t have enough to eat sometimes. We didn’t have a TV or a computer at home. I read at a third-grade level when I was in middle school. I was told, “You’re going to be dead or in jail before you get to high school.” It felt like no one was there to invest in kids like me. With little guidance, I felt in my spirit I needed to get out of that situation. I always felt I could do more, but I never imagined that I’d be where I am today; working at Microsoft as a customer engineer, giving to causes that make a huge difference, and being a role model to people who really need someone to look up to. God gave me a second chance. The path to helping others actually started with someone helping me. I was the first person in my family to go to college when I enrolled in Johnson C. Smith University, a Historically Black University in Charlotte, North Carolina. I didn’t know what I wanted to—or could—do. That was when I met another student who was crushing it in a class we took together. He took me under his wing and opened my eyes not only to the possibilities in computers, coding, and making apps but also to the joy of giving. I began volunteering in an after-school program where we taught kids about computer engineering. The kids were a lot like me—they couldn’t afford the bus fare, and some had no place to sleep. They saw me as someone to look up to. Someone like them who broke from a community that lacked hope and options. It was then that I learned I could reach back and help pull others up, too.
Young people need positive role models of people like them who have “made it.” By the power of my example, I began mentoring and inspiring others on how they can get further in life. It turned out that my background was an asset. Since then, I’ve been volunteering, mentoring, starting scholarship funds, and co-founding nonprofits—everything I can, to pay it forward. To this day I work full-time for Microsoft and full-time for the community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
Hello everyone, my name is Bernard Smith Jr. I grew up with 8 sisters in Fort Pierce FL. I am a 26-year-old Tech intrapreneur, investor, and philanthropist. I landed a career at Microsoft after graduating from Johnson C. Smith University.
My goal is to champion people to reach beyond the constraints they know and embrace technology and self-development for continuous innovation. Building on the future through leveraging emerging technologies and resources is how we remain on the front end of this digital revolution. I am supporting people by turning their fear of technology into using technology as a vehicle for transformation and endless possibilities.
My approach is motivational, inspirational, and educational. I do this by prioritizing a growth mindset, going above and beyond, and providing top-tier quality outcomes to all my projects. I can solve complex problems through articulating core business needs, strategically mapping, and ultimately closing the gap of where you are now, and where you aspire to be.
Whether it be speaking at technology and community conferences, at educational institutions, or enabling a business to take a leap into the modern technology world, I am all in.
Visit my website to learn more about me: https://www.smithcapitalblvd.com/
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I was raised in Fort Pierce, Florida, I am a product of the struggles of a Black child that was raised in a low-income community and attended low-income schools. During my upbringing, we could not afford a computer or laptop in my household. The schools I attended did not offer any financial literacy, gaming workshops, scholarships, or STEM programs that could help our underprivileged community achieve more. Due to no opportunities, I watched friends go to juvenile detention centers with no hopes for the future. With seeing friends flow through the school-to-prison pipeline, I had to keep a growth mindset that one day I will be able to make it out of my community, and show others suffering from the same situations that they too can succeed. Keeping that outlook in mind, I was able to attend a Historical Black College and University by the name of Johnson C. Smith University. College allowed me to understand the world we live in today and find a passion for technology when I attended the Blacks at Microsoft Student Day in Charlotte, NC. This event opened my eyes to see how Microsoft was using technology to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
When I was awarded the opportunity to get hired through the Microsoft Academy of College Hire Program(MACH), I knew it was more than just a job but an opportunity to fulfill my purpose of inspiring the low income communities from which I came. During my time at Microsoft, I have sat on leadership panels for Africa and schools across the United States to empower the young boys and girls. I am a leader for the Worldwide Identity Community, the Microsoft Give Campaign, and various initiatives for Blacks at Microsoft. I help expand how we educate, mentor, vote, give, and how to hire diverse talents. Whether it be speaking at technology and community conferences, at educational institutions and schools, or enabling a business to take a leap into the modern technology world, I am all in. It is a goal of mine to champion people to reach out beyond the constraints they know and embrace technology and self-development for continuous innovation.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The path to get where I am wasn’t exactly direct, and some days I can hardly believe I made it this far. When I was growing up in Fort Pierce, Florida, we didn’t have a lot. Seeing my friends get shot, killed by police, and going to jail help me realize that we needed someone who will break the pattern of bad decisions from a lack of hope and options. It wasn’t until I got to college that I understood that kids around the world were experiencing similar situations as me. This led me to begin volunteering in an after-school program with kids who were like me. In this program, I taught kids about computer engineering, how to code and creating apps. It turned out that my background was an asset. Young people can be what they see, so they need positive role models of people like them who have “made it.” By the power of my example, I could show others how they can get further in life and even inspire others in turn.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smithcapitalblvd.com/
- Instagram: Bsmoove35
- Facebook: Bernard Smith Jr
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bernardasmithjr
- Twitter: Bsmoove35