“I didn’t choose Clark, Clark chose me.” This is how Tennessee native Hali Smith describes her choice to attend Clark Atlanta University, a historically Black university (HBCU) in Georgia.
This is her story.
As a second-generation college student with both parents graduating from predominately White institutions (PWIs) in Tennessee, Hali is often asked, “How did you decide to not only leave the state but also attend an HBCU?”
“Honestly, I know this might sound cliché but I didn’t choose Clark, Clark chose me,” she said. “The plan was never really for me to go to an HBCU because I golf and I did not want to stay in the South. Clark doesn’t have golf and technically it is still in the South, so this was not the plan, or so I thought.”
Hali’s formative education years prepared her to attend a college or university and to receive a scholarship. In high school, she was an honors student who was very active in academic clubs and community organizations and sports. She has also been an avid golfer since the age of six.
“My older sister graduated from UT Knoxville, so it was never really a question of ‘if’ I was going to school, it was more about where and who offered the greatest benefits”.
And in a home with three PWI graduates, it seemed destined for Hali to follow the path that was laid out before her and continue her education at a local institution.
