Kalibre Smith’s journey to valedictorian at Iola High School has humble beginnings, rooted in his parents’ desires to see him succeed. One of four kids, Smith is the son of Chrystal Brown and Anthony Smith. He regards his mother as his biggest role model.
“She originally came from Humboldt,” he said. “She moved to Kansas City when she was a kid.” He noted that she “was not anywhere near” middle class. “She was very, very poor growing up, living in the bad part of the city,” he added. “She had to repeat a grade and after a couple years, she moved to Iola and that’s where she met my dad.”
Smith hopes to make his mother proud with his accomplishment, noting how her encouragement for him to build a strong foundation for his life has helped him stay the course.
“It tells me that I’ve done a really good job during high school,” Smith said of his valedictorian distinction. “I had the courage to be able to do it.” Freshman year, he didn’t think about the end goal of valedictorian. “By sophomore year, I figured I should go for it since I had all A’s,” he said.
The most rewarding aspect of his high school career has been his ability to join the National Honor Society and perform in orchestra. Smith is an accomplished musician, playing violin in Iola High School’s orchestra. He has earned many “1” rankings over the years, most recently at a music festival in Andover.
His advice for freshmen who are looking to get the most out of their high school experience is to not procrastinate. “The best thing you can do is work on your time management skills,” he said. “Do not procrastinate on your assignments. It can get tough at times, but you’ve just got to keep on going or you will fall behind.”
His academic journey will continue after this weekend’s graduation. Smith plans on attending Allen Community College in the fall, followed by Kansas University. “I plan on majoring in civil engineering,” he said. Smith hopes to use his education to land a job working for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).
