Marlon Smith, leadership seminar speaker, took the stage Monday night in Legacy Hall.

“I see greatness in this room,” Smith said. “Turn to your right, turn to the left and give those people high fives and say ‘You’ve got greatness!’”

Smith used personal stories tied in with jokes to keep the audiences attention. He would stop multiple times during his stories to ask questions and interact with the students. Smith often joked those who answered at their own expense.

“I liked how it was interactive,” Kim Muller, Assistant Career Services Director, said. “Even when I was in the back of the room I felt like I was a part of the conversation.”

During Smith’s sophomore year at University of Virginia, he found himself in the dean’s office with a 1.6 GPA. Smith went on to make a 4.0 GPA.

“Not because I’m smart, but because I used strategies,” Smith said.

The four strategies given to Smith by his dean included using the writing center, time management, group work, and help from instructors. With these strategies Smith said making honor roll is possible. “Know what you do today doesn’t effect tomorrow. It dictates your future,” Smith said. “A vision with action can change the world.”

Smith closed the seminar with an activity and a message. He challenged the audience to make commitment and achieve it before Dec. 31.  Then Smith asked the students to stand with arms stretched out to their sides for three minutes. At approximately a minute and half the audience took to heart the message. “It’s okay to ask for help, when achieving your goals and dreams,” Smith said. As students and faculty rested their arms across fellow Buffs shoulder, “Lean on Me” by Bill withers started to play. “His passion for our success was inspiring,” Mallory Leach, a WT freshman, said.