Today we’d like to introduce you to Bernard Smith Jr.
Hi Bernard, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Bernard Smith Jr. I am a 26-year-old Tech intrapreneur, investor, and philanthropist. 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. I like to say I work full-time for Microsoft and full-time for the community.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
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.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. I specialize in the cloud. Currently, I am the President of Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Dallas. Also, the co-founder of Microsoft’s Next Step Initiative which helps teach underprivileged communities computer science and financial literacy in Dallas ISD. My passion for helping students led me to develop a virtual seminar to help students get hired by Microsoft all over the world. I also helped start the first HBCU Esports and Gaming Program at Johnson C. Smith University with a generous donation of $11,000. I know the struggle of not being financially stable and the power of paying it forward. This led me to create the Bernard A. Smith Endowment at Johnson C. Smith University which aims to help ease the financial burden of tuition during their time at Johnson C. Smith University. During his time in Dallas, I have donated my time and resources to nonprofits like Youth Revive, where I was a judge for their CAP Day, and also send monetary donations to the nonprofit. I also collaborated with For Oak Cliff to send backpacks to schools for kids and food to communities affected by covid. Next, I volunteered at Pan African Connections (Black Owned Bookstore) where I expose the community to technology opportunities by teaching the community tech and about my story. I also sponsor/partner with nonprofits like Stars Global Outreach to teach kids about leadership, financial literacy, professional development, and overall way of life. Lastly, I partnered with Dallas Education Foundation and his nonprofit (Next Step) and raised 13,000 dollars to provide hardware/laptops, Wi-Fi hot spots, headphones, coding competition, and Microsoft Swag to kids in Dallas ISD. Recently I spoke on Blacks in Technology as a session speaker at the North Black Tech Symposium in Downtown Dallas. I am most known for championing 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.
What do you think about happiness?
Impacting people/giving back is what makes me most happy because I want to be the person I needed growing up in my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smithcapitalblvd.com/
- Instagram: Bsmoove35
