ICCTA Pacesetter Award


2007 Recipient


Gabriel C. Smith
Quality engineer
John Deere
John A. Logan College (2003)

"I was scared to death prior to attending John A. Logan College in the fall of 2000," says Gabriel Smith, who at the time was employed as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.

The first in his family to go to college, he lacked confidence in his own abilities and enrolled in developmental reading, writing and math during his first semester at JALC.

But it was soon apparent that Smith was destined for greater things.

He quickly emerged as a scholastic standout and discovered a natural talent for electronics. He also overcame his shyness by organizing potlucks for his fellow classmates.

Since graduating from JALC, Smith has earned two additional degrees and 12 academic scholarships.

He recently published his master's thesis on the prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome. And he has presented research findings at three professional conferences.

Gabriel Smith accepts ICCTA's 2007 Pacesetter Award.
Gabriel Smith accepts ICCTA's
2007 Pacesetter Award.

This summer he and wife Kelly (whom he met at JALC) will move to Iowa so Smith can begin his new career as a quality engineer for John Deere.

"I realize that none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the caring support of faculty and students at JALC," says Smith.