Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Leadership and The Power of Connection ft Dr. Tyvi Small, Vice Chancellor for Access and Engagement at UT Knoxville
From the rich tapestry of Southern life to the vibrant community of the University of Tennessee, join us as we sit down with Dr. Tyvi Small, the inspiring Vice Chancellor of Access and Engagement. Tyvi’s journey from Pahokee, Florida, to his impactful role in Tennessee is filled with lessons on leadership, family, and faith. The conversation extends to creating supportive environments, like the one fostered at the University of Tennessee, where students can thrive and embrace their potential. Discover how his roots shaped his approach to community building in both his personal and professional life. Listen to this amazing episode!!
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Adrienne Landes
Realty Executives Associates
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Thank you for listening! Follow us on social media! https://linktr.ee/talkintnwithyvonnca
Check us out to hear the latest on life in the volunteer state. Yvonca and her guests discuss everything from life, love and business with a Tennessee flair. It's a Tennessee thing, always relatable, always relevant and always a good time. This is Talkin' Tennessee, and now your host, yvonca.
Speaker 2:This episode is brought to you by the Landis team, your go-to real estate family in East Tennessee. If you are looking to buy or sell, we are the ones you should call. Give us a call at 865-660-1186 or check out our website at YvoncaSellsRealEstatecom. That's Yvonca Y-V-O-N-N-C-A SalesRealEstatecom.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonne Ca. I'm your host and this week is opening week and we're opening up with Tavi Small with University of Tennessee. He's the Vice Chancellor of Access and Engagement. Welcome.
Speaker 4:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Most definitely, most definitely. Well, we were talking about this off camera, and so we're going to talk about it on camera. How did we meet?
Speaker 4:I don't know. I think it was at an event and it was probably on campus. I think it was on campus.
Speaker 3:I think it was too it was an event on campus. I will tell you this. Been on campus, I will tell you this I always find different people in the community that I can look up to that has achieved way more things than I have, and that's my inspiration and I want you to know. You're one of the people.
Speaker 4:You're way too kind, but you are doing your thing here in Knoxville, thank you. Thank you, I'll set an example.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I really, when I met you, I didn't know who you were, was and I was like, okay, so who is this person? Because I saw you connect with different people. Every time I would see you, you would always greet somebody with a smile, you would always give them their moment to talk to you, and I'm like I've got to find out who this person is. So, of course, google is always good. Google is always good. So I Googled you and I was like, oh, wow. And so over the last, say, year and a half, I have admired you from afar and when I see you, we always you would think we know each other real well because we always would greet each other and we'd stop and talk for a few minutes.
Speaker 3:But I just want you to know before we do this podcast is that you inspire me, oh, thank you so much In so many different ways and let me say a few things that you inspire me in. You inspire me in community, you inspire me as a leader and you inspire me to go for your dreams and goals, absolutely, you know. So let's get into. Who is Tyvie Small? Wow, I don't know how to follow that.
Speaker 4:You set the stage nicely.
Speaker 1:Thank you for your kind words.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:You know, as a man of faith and as someone who grew up with a large, extended family who thought that all those things were important. Leadership was important, community was important, giving back was important. So all of that.
Speaker 3:So let's go start where first. Let's give respect. Tommy is married to Tammy. Tammy is yes, Tammy is his better half, as I always call it Better half. Tell us a little bit.
Speaker 4:The better and the gooder, half the better and the gooder. So shout out to Tammy.
Speaker 3:Tell me who Tammy is.
Speaker 4:Tammy is a beautiful woman, a woman of deep faith, a woman who is kind, who was caring, who's thoughtful. You know she remembers everybody's birthday and it's just, it's weird, you know, if someone's birthday, she'll call me, and hey, that's those birthdays today. It's that's just birthday she keeps you on your toes. She keeps me on my toes, but that's who she is. We met here at the University of Tennessee. We worked in the College of Business together, and so that's how we originally met.
Speaker 3:So so y'all started dating here? Oh wow. So for the people that don't know, you are from Florida yes, pahokee Florida. Pahokee, florida. I let him say that, because me and Adrian literally was like how are we gonna say where he's from, because I don't even know how to pronounce it. So but tell, but tell the viewers who are you. Take the titles off, take everything you've accomplished. Who is the man?
Speaker 4:First and foremost, a man of faith, a man of deep faith. You know, of course, you know a husband, a friend, a son, a brother, all of that, but I think what starts it is is my faith. I grew up in Pahokee with a single mom. A mom passed away during COVID and it was just my mom, my sister and I. My sister passed away in 2008 in a car accident about a year after I moved here, but we had a large extended family. So my maternal grandparents had 10 kids, so I have 33 first cousins.
Speaker 3:What.
Speaker 4:And so we grew up in Pahokee, most of us, so we had a large, extended family.
Speaker 3:It probably helped you to deal with your sister's death first, and then with your mom yeah, to have that big family Absolutely, because I've lost all of my immediate family. I have a brother and a sister, like all the grandparents, the parents, and so you have to lean wherever your tribe, your crew is to get through that type thing, and you have to have faith. I'm a woman of faith and I know that God trumps all and you always have to have Him in the center of everything that you do. That's the biggest thing, because you can do nothing without him Absolutely.
Speaker 4:And I know that all too well. You know I don't too, Because I'm trying and it didn't work.
Speaker 3:I tell people all the time I'm like there was a time. You know, in the Bible it says do all things in God's plan and God's timing and that type thing. And that's not the easiest thing to accept and do I said. But I can say I'm 53 years old and I can say I don't want anything out of the will of God. And I can't say that I've always been that way, because you know, when you want something you want it, but God will show you why you need it in the will of God and why you don't want it.
Speaker 4:And sometimes he'll say not right now, Right, and so I think sometimes he's teaching us patience. He'll say you know, I'm not saying you can't have it, but not right now.
Speaker 3:And I think people take that not right now as a failure.
Speaker 4:They take it as a no.
Speaker 3:As a no. As a no, or I can't complete this, I'm a failure. And as a no, or I can't complete this, I'm a failure, and I'm like no, it just may not be your time. God has time for everyone, and even when you see other people climbing and it may be the exact same thing you want, if God said, not right now, he's got something greater for you. Anyway, you know he's preparing you for your greatness. So I would say this how long have you been here?
Speaker 4:So I've been in Knoxville for 17 years. I started, if I got. I think my first day was June 17th of 2007.
Speaker 3:OK University of.
Speaker 4:Tennessee what brought you here the job. So I was working in government and politics and had a great job, but the boss who I was working for was running for reelection and it's Florida and it's election, so you never know.
Speaker 4:So we knew she was going to get reelected, but was a little unsure because the person she was running against said if I get elected I'm going to fire everybody in the mayor's office. And so a fraternity brother sent me the job announcement at the university of Tennessee, cause I came here. I've spent my first 13 years in the business school and the Haslam college of business, so that's where I got started. And fraternity brother sent me this job announcement and I thought, uh, I'll just apply. Um, I applied for the job, the mayor got reelected, all was great. And then Tennessee called.
Speaker 4:And you said Wait a minute what I said I had never been to Tennessee. No, I had been to Tennessee only once.
Speaker 2:I'd never been to Knoxville. I said you know what?
Speaker 4:I don't have a decision to make until I have a decision to make.
Speaker 2:And so I came to the interview.
Speaker 4:I said you know, we did a phone interview with one search committee member Went well, Then he called back again and said, hey, we want to do a phone interview with the entire search committee. Did that phone interview with the search committee and said, oh, nothing will ever happen. And then they called back and I flew up an interview and I thought, okay, nothing will ever happen. And then I got the call.
Speaker 3:And you had to make a decision. I had to make a decision. Let me tell you what happened.
Speaker 4:This is a true story. So, as we were driving down Ocoa Highway from the airport I airport, I was in the back of a minivan it was a cab but it was a minivan and I saw that sign that said welcome to Knoxville, knox. County and I remember looking at that sign and all of a sudden stuff just went into slow motion and it was like this feeling just came over me and as a man of faith I knew it was God that just gave me this unmerited sense of calm and peace.
Speaker 4:And so when I came and did the interview, I was competing against two internal candidates, and the dean that hired me at the time will tell you he had no idea. He said I didn't even know what a Tommy Small was. But he said I won every interview with the faculty, with the staff, with students, alumni, every one of those.
Speaker 3:God is in the midst of it, and so.
Speaker 4:I said yes, and I met Tammy throughout that process, and so I didn't realize I had already met my wife.
Speaker 3:Wow, because she was already here. So you moved from Florida. You came to an interview. Let's go back just a little bit. He is. I will let you tell what fraternity are you with.
Speaker 4:There is but one Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.
Speaker 3:Shout out to them To the noobs. So your fraternity brother told you about a job you interviewed. You came here to talk to him about everything and you got off an airplane and that feeling hit you and you got that call, that. You got the job. Yeah, was you nervous?
Speaker 4:No, it was such a sense of peace. I remember I got the call in Starbucks on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 4:Because I was living and working for the mayor of West Palm at the time.
Speaker 2:So I remember getting that call.
Speaker 3:That was the divine plan for your life, and so you never thought that you would find, you'd get the job, and that you'd find the moment of your dreams Right.
Speaker 4:My plan was to come to Knoxville, stay here two years and go back to Florida.
Speaker 2:Really that was the plan, because all my family was there, great weather, all of that.
Speaker 4:But I was involved with the Urban League Young Professionals in West Palm Beach and so when I got here, phyllis Nichols, who was the CEO of the Urban League at the time, connected with me. He had connected us via email and so when I got here I connected with her and she just started plugging me in. They often talk about having mentors and having sponsors, and Phyllis was a sponsor.
Speaker 4:Not only did she say, hey, tybee, this is the door you need to walk in, this is the thing you need to get involved with, but she grabbed my hand and brought me into the room with her.
Speaker 3:That's amazing.
Speaker 4:Knoxville became home because I got connected to the community really, really quickly and I knew that this was a special place. People often talk about Knoxville not embracing outsiders, but I will tell you, knoxville loved on me like never before, and I'll love it right back.
Speaker 3:I'm from Harriman, tennessee I don't know if you know that and that's like 30, 45 minutes from Knoxville, and I can say that from my experience Knoxville has always loved on me. You know, can I sit there and say that every door that I thought needed to open opened? No, but over time I realized it wasn't meant to open and it wasn't that Knoxville didn't open it, it was not God's plan to open. You know he had other doors he wanted me to walk through, and so I look at it that way. But what is the most? What would you say? Back then, 17 years ago, what was the one thing that stuck out to you about Knoxville that said outside the university? That just was like this is going to be my home for a while.
Speaker 4:The people. So I got involved with Knoxville Area Urban League Young Professionals and there were so many of us who were new to the area, new to many of them worked at UT, new to the community, and we built this really strong bond of friendship. Right, they became my family, my tribe. I didn't have any family here at the time right, so they became my tribe and so they embraced me. And then folks that I work with you know Willie and Frida Johnson, who are here and have been here for a while Frida adopted me and so, you know, I became her godson and my mom and her became really good friends and so when my mom would come up from Florida she would spend more time with Frida than me.
Speaker 1:Because they became family.
Speaker 4:And so I created these fictive kinships right Through people in the community, through Urban League. People just kind of wrapped their arms around me and said, hey, you know you're home and you belong and we're going to get you connected. So let me talk about serendipity. So of those 10 kids that my grandparents had my maternal grandparents had one of them went to college my Aunt Janice that my maternal grandparents had. One of them went to college, my Aunt Janice, and she went to Knoxville College and graduated in 1979.
Speaker 4:Really, so I had always heard about Knoxville College and she would come home, come in reunions and all of that stuff, and she never had any biological kids but she was a teacher, she taught school for 35, almost 40 years but her nieces and nephews were her kids. And so I'm here today because my Aunt Janice really kind of exposed me to life. Right, I remember, you know, again, she didn't have any biological kids, but I remember we would go places in there. She took me to my first NFL game. Really, you know, we used to go to this place called Okeechobee Steakhouse and I could barely see over the table and she would take, you know, just wanting to expose me to the finer things in life, and I don't think she would have been able to do that without her education at KC.
Speaker 4:I believe that so full circle. I remember telling her when I, when I took the job here, I just thought it was so, so neat that you know she was also a special part of my life to see now my grandfather my grandfather was an educator.
Speaker 3:Uh, he was the very first black principal in hermit okay, hermit city schools and he was there for 45 years. He did 60 years in the county and 45 years um for hermit and he went to knoxville college and all his brothers went to Knoxville College. So I got exposed at a very young age about Knoxville College before I came to Knoxville, and so it's a very unique you know experience because you know you're around more of your culture but there was things that you needed nurturing that you could bring to everybody. But you had to know your culture to me and so I remember my grandfather and his brothers always donated to Knoxville College and we would always. They would have a program and they would bring back alumni, the older alumni, to honor them and my grandfather would always take us and he would line us up in that auditorium and he lied and everything and he exposed me to that to show me you know what.
Speaker 3:Here's some rooms you need to be in, but when you get in those rooms sometimes you need to listen and sometimes you need to speak up and speak out but be substance for a room and and that was the biggest thing, because I would see him and his brothers be that substance. They would get up, get up and speak and talk. And I'm like now, most of it I couldn't understand because I was so young, but he exposed me to coming in a room and sitting and listen to other people talk, and then he showed me when there was time, it was time for me to speak, and so I learned that at Knoxville College. Absolutely, so you probably learned the same thing. I learned that from my agenda. You know what I'm saying. Just observing, let me ask you this what would be one thing that you would say if I could pick one thing out of Florida that I could bring to Tennessee? Okay, yeah, what would it be? It could be professional or personal.
Speaker 4:So you know, because it's relatively cold, I'm always cold. You know, anything below 70 degrees is cold to me. I would bring the Florida weather up here. I would bring the weather. Come on now. You can dress better in the winter Summer is so hot, Would I tell people. Florida has two seasons summer and hurricane.
Speaker 3:Well, that's kind of true. Yes, Now my in-laws all live in Mount Dora, outside of Orlando.
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness, goodness, I spent a whole lot of time in mount dora. Yes, so late county and you?
Speaker 3:know it's perfect weather. It's just like if they get in the 60s, they're thinking they're in the 30s. But yes, um. So all of david's family moved down there, and so we were there a month ago and that weather was gorgeous, gorgeous. But, I like winter.
Speaker 4:No, I don't like that.
Speaker 3:Now the last few weeks when it got really, really cold. I don't like that kind of cold. I like that 30, 40. Small world.
Speaker 4:So when I went to the University of South Florida for both my undergrad and my master's, and when I graduated I worked in admissions at the university. So I did recruitment, and so Lake and Sumter County were my counties, and so Tavares, umatilla, mount Dora, all of that stuff.
Speaker 3:I spent a whole lot of time there. That is a small world, so if you could pick, I know there's a lot of things about University of Tennessee that we both love. Ok, and let me give a shout out to University of Tennessee that we both love. Okay, and let me give a shout out to University of Tennessee. I know when I brought my company here Turner Knox rental y'all welcome me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've tried to help me. You have. You have literally said okay, you've all could call this person. You've introduced me to people like okay, I remember at your event at the brunch.
Speaker 3:You were like okay, ashley, this is your vocal latest and that embracing is priceless. So I want to thank you and the University of Tennessee for welcoming me. I didn't go to University of Tennessee, but my husband did and my father-in-law. I don't know if you know this. My father-in-law taught in engineering for 30 years. Did not know that For 30 years. He retired about seven years ago and so to bring back a business to your team, your university that you love, that is huge to me.
Speaker 4:I will say this about your work the reason why I think you're successful here is because everything you do, you do it with excellence. Thank you. Sometimes that's all you need to do. Everything that you do, you do it with excellence. Thank you, that's why you keep getting the phone calls back because you do.
Speaker 4:What you say you're going to do, I do. When you say I'm going to show up, you show up. Thank you do I do. When you say I'm going to show up, you show up. And you go above and beyond every time.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 4:Even the event that we had a couple of weeks ago you were like this is my stuff. And I'm like you know what. You did a phenomenal job, and I think that's why people respect you, and respect the work that you do.
Speaker 3:And what I teach my kids is I'm like. You know what? If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you. If you find a time that you can't do it, then you pick up the phone and you need to call the person, talk to them directly and say, hey, I promised you this, but this is the situation. I said communication is key and I said and when you walk in the door, you should walk in excellence, they should see the best version of you. But if you don't show that, you know people are not supposed to give you an opportunity just because they're supposed to give to you. No, you need to earn that opportunity. And so I teach my whole family that.
Speaker 3:And it's like when we're doing an event, I don't care about all the other events I have. I look at each event as this event. How can we make this the best event? Even in our real estate business, we do the same thing. I don't talk about my clients to other clients because I'm like they don't care about all of that. They care about what are you going to do for them. And so that's what I teach and I try. I tell people I'm like, even with your walk with God. I'm like you can talk all day, but your walk should speak. You don't have to walk around and say I'm a Christian, I'm a Christian. Your walk should. People should know that person right there has faith. That person right there follows God in your walk. So I thank you for saying that to me and for me, because you always want somebody to be your voice. You know what I'm saying, so I thank you for that.
Speaker 4:That's what I try to teach our students In this work. I say a couple things. Number one is education is a great equalizer, and so when we talk about, people say, well, what is access and engagement? Really it's about access to opportunity, and so we want to give all Tennesseans, as a land grant and a flagship institution, we want to give all all Tennesseans access to opportunity, right? Yes, because we do know that education is a great equalizer.
Speaker 3:It is.
Speaker 4:And so how do we get students here, get them in opportunities where they can be successful, where they can thrive Right? Well, they can realize their goals and dreams, whatever that might be. But what I talk to them about is this idea of excellence is the standard right, when you're in class, when you're outside of class, if you're going to be involved in organizations, do it all with excellence.
Speaker 3:I tell I do a Facebook live and I tell people I said I wasn't raised to be basic, I was raised to do excellence. And some people say, well, what do you mean? You know? Basically, I said, if you're just giving the bare minimums, how can you grow? I mean just common sense to tell you you can't grow just doing the basics. You have to go over and above for whatever you're doing, so that you can show that nobody else can give that kind of service, no matter what you're doing.
Speaker 4:And you be the best that you can be right. Sometimes people get this idea that they have to compete or compare. Right, you don't need to compete or compare. You just need to be the best you that you can be right. Bring your very best to whatever situation it is, and people will respect it and they'll honor it.
Speaker 3:This is my thing. Even with our company, I said I don't want to be known as a product company. I want to be known as a service company that brings great products, because service never goes out of style. Products they can go in and out everything else. And I said it's all about the service. And if you think about even down to your students, you have to show them you know what good service is, because they'll take it to the community and they'll serve and they'll be a good servant. But if you go on, just okay, well, you got a degree and that's it. And no, you got a degree and how are you going to apply it? How are you going to apply it to your life and other people's life? Do you agree with that?
Speaker 4:I agree, we have this thing called. It's called TRAIL. It's now expanded. It used to be called the Tennessee Rwanda Leadership Experience, where we would take a group of students and student athletes and we would go to Rwanda.
Speaker 1:And now we're going to Rwanda and South Africa.
Speaker 4:And we've expanded a part of it to Japan, and it's centered around these four, these four pillars leadership, service, culture and community Right, and it's talking. We talk about this idea of you going to be global leaders, global scholars right, and we talk about this idea of you're going to be global leaders, global scholars, global citizens right, the people that were graduating from the university today.
Speaker 4:They're the future business leaders future politicians, government leaders, educators right, they're going to be running this country and we want them to really think about this idea of how do you lead, but also how do you serve.
Speaker 2:How do you?
Speaker 1:make communities better.
Speaker 3:What do you have to give to your community?
Speaker 4:And whatever communities you go into when you lead, is it going to be a better place because you were there?
Speaker 3:It should be. Yes, this is my way of thinking. There's two types of people there's givers and there's takers. And my grandfather said to me when I was a kid at the time I didn't get it, but I do now he said what will your legacy be? What will it be? He said, when you die? What will they remember you as? And I don't want people to remember me as, oh, she was a great realtor. No, I want them to remember that I made a difference, that I did for community. I came outside of myself and I made other people win.
Speaker 3:You know that type thing. But it takes you putting time in yourself and bettering yourself and then go out and offer yourself to your community and, like you said, when you leave, whatever you leave, is it better, Right, or did you take? I don't want to be a taker, you know, because God never told us to be takers. He said be givers and give with a kind heart. You know that type of thing. What is the biggest thing that you could say that you love about University of Tennessee?
Speaker 4:I love the people and I love the opportunity. All right, the people, because you know I, absolutely I do this for for the students, right, I do this because we just had graduation and when I tell you, it fills my cup every time because there are students, there are parents that are seeking me out.
Speaker 4:You know, grandmas that say baby, just let me hug your neck because of the role that you played in my grandson's and my granddaughter's life. Right, how you mentored them, how you've given them opportunity, how you help, let help them see something bigger than themselves, how you help them see something bigger than themselves.
Speaker 3:And that's what I love. And they've talked about you, they've went home and told the mark you're making on their life and that's why those grandmothers and mothers and different family members that are saying, hey, I just want to hug you because I just want you to know what you've done in my child's life Absolutely, because I think a lot of times people look at the young people and they look at where they're at right now. But we all was there at one time.
Speaker 4:Listen, we give this generation such a hard time. We do I absolutely love this generation. They are smart and witty and resourceful and they care about what they care about.
Speaker 3:And once our generation we were taught okay, a lot of it was about speaking and watching. One thing I can give this generation if they don't like something, they're going to tell you.
Speaker 4:They're going to tell you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And is that a bad thing? It is. It's really not, if you think about it, because you can change something if you know, and that's one thing I picked from this generation I'm like they'll tell you what they like and what they don't like, and they don't worry about if they're going to ruffle feathers, right right, and that's what I like about this generation.
Speaker 4:Right, that's exactly. You know, people often say, well, they're the leaders of tomorrow, and I said that earlier. But they're the leaders of tomorrow, and I said that earlier, but really they're the leaders of today.
Speaker 3:They are the leaders of now. They really are.
Speaker 4:They are making impact and making differences in their communities right now.
Speaker 3:And they've got so many opportunities that they can make that big impact Absolutely, and so let's stay away from downing them, let's lift them. I tell people that all the time.
Speaker 3:You've got to lift them up and understand that we all had to find our way. And you see us now and you know we can get suited and booted and look like we have it all together, but there's a lot of people in their 50s that hadn't found their way, you know. So how do you think a 20-year-old is going to know? You know everything. So I'm like come on, give them a chance and let them mentorship, sponsorship yes, if you really want this generation to be better, instead of doubting them, say you know what, pick a child and say you know what.
Speaker 3:I want to mentor you and I want to meet with you at least once a month. You know, because I know life is busy, but mentorship is awesome. I mentor some people and I want them to do the greatest and I tell them only thing I'm doing is giving you advice. I'm telling you you know, hey, sharing my journey, but you're the one that's doing work, and so when you go up, you don't have to give me credit for it, because it was what you did. It wasn't what I did. You did the work, you see.
Speaker 4:So let me ask you this that's what I love, the work that I do in the community, particularly with the Urban League. So I was chair of the National Achiever Society for almost 10 years and I followed Dean Rosalind Tillman and I tell you I absolutely loved those young people. We would induct between 100 and 120, 130 young people each year. They were high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. And when I tell you, I absolutely love that work because I got to see the next generation in action. They are smart and they are hungry and they want it better and they just needed a little bit of guidance and that's what we tried to give them. And now I see I've seen those scholars over 10 years now. Many have gone to college, many of them graduated, they're doing well in their industry, in their field of study, and they're giving back to the next generation and I'm like, yes, that's what we wanted to do.
Speaker 3:They did it and I knew they were going to do it. They just needed time.
Speaker 4:That's what I love. That's what fills my cup.
Speaker 3:I agree, especially when you see a kid, that it's like they may have had obstacles, they may have had family problems, they may have you know all different things and you see them succeed. You're like, yes, they went above and beyond. You don't know their story, you don't and don't judge people on their story and your story doesn't define you. It's just a story, it's a chapter right, think about those.
Speaker 4:It's a chapter, right, and you know, think about those. It's a chapter in the book, right, right. If you just stop at chapter one, you don't get to see the beauty in chapter 10. That's a good point, you only stop at that first chapter, right? And so all of our lives are chapters, right?
Speaker 3:You know where I am here today where I was yesterday, that is Today where I was yesterday and it won't be where I'll be tomorrow, right? He said every one of us. I'm going to say it again. I'm going to let him say it again because this is really good Everybody's a chapter Go ahead.
Speaker 4:Every one of our stories are made up of chapters, right, and each chapter creates the whole book, right? And so if you stop at chapter, if the book is 10 chapters and you stop at chapter 6, right, you don't get to see the beauty that happens in chapter 7, 8, 9, and 10. And you don't get to see the completion at all. You don't get to see the completion. I think that's what sometimes we do with our young people, and sometimes we do that with each other, yeah that's true.
Speaker 4:Our stories are not done being written.
Speaker 3:And we have to realize that everybody has a bad day and we have good days. And if we really care about people, you have to realize, on those bad days, that's when you really should be rah, rah, rah.
Speaker 4:Do you agree? You know, what I often say is that you shouldn't judge people by their worst day ever, because they do all the good things that people do and we forget about, and they do one bad thing or they mess up, and that's what we remember and that's what we judge them on. And hold them on and hold them on right. What about all the other great things they do? I don't want to ever judge somebody by their worst day. God, really, he said other great things they do.
Speaker 3:I don't want to ever judge somebody by their worst day. Think about God, god, really. He said you've got all your sins. I'm going to wipe all that away. He didn't say you had one sin. He said we're all sinners. So I'm like, okay, yeah. So let me ask you this how is UT culturally different from other universities that you have been affiliated with?
Speaker 4:You know it's interesting. So there's something about this volunteer spirit that people talk about that I didn't understand and couldn't explain when I first started. But there is a level of support, a level of trial and error that we give to everybody who's a part of this family. Right, and so when we think about my work, we center it in four buckets it's access, belonging, a culture of respect and community. Right, and so when you think about those four pillars, that's what makes the University of Tennessee different.
Speaker 4:Right, because sometimes I'll work with either recruiting- students who are non-athletes or students who are athletes, right, and I often have gone on to college tours or been a part of other college tours and if you close your eyes, it says the same thing. They're all the same thing. Close your eyes and fill in the blank random university.
Speaker 3:Yes, right.
Speaker 4:So what makes us different, I think, are the people. It's the way that we give opportunities, it's the way that we give grace, it's the way that we create cultures of respect, it's the way that we build community. Yes, I agree, that's what makes us different, and we speak.
Speaker 3:It's the different and we speak. I think the biggest thing about east tennessee, I would say and you can agree or disagree is we all, no matter if we know each other or not. You can go in a grocery store, see somebody and we're going to speak. That's to me. Think of our name, volunteer volunteers. Think of the name you know, you step forward and you volunteer. And when someone think about one of the players, let's say because we're about to go to Ohio State and we wish everybody great, but we're going to win Anyway. But we're all gathered together and say if one of the players had a situation at home, everybody rallies in the volunteer state. This community comes together and rallies for those students, for those athletes. They rally.
Speaker 4:I saw it. We lost a student recently and one of our faculty members who was the advisor for the organization that this person was a part of. And you know we were talking the other day and that's one of the things I told him. I said I respect about you so much. When that happened you just went into motion.
Speaker 3:Right, yes.
Speaker 4:We wrapped our arms around those kids, we wrapped our arms around that organization and we just loved on. Yes, it wasn't. It wasn't about anything other than making sure that they were okay and that they had what they needed to do to get through that situation Time and time again. That's what I found at UT, and I think that's why I've stayed right, because we all have options, right, correct? I didn't have to stay here. I didn't have to be here.
Speaker 4:You were only supposed to be here two years Right, which your plan was right. It was the people who I met in the community. It was the people like frida who were on campus.
Speaker 1:Who wrapped?
Speaker 4:their arms around me. I was like you, my godson now, and so when I was here for holidays would call and say, hey, come over to the house and get a plate right it was all of those kinds of things that made me feel they just loved on me and that was and made you feel that loved on you.
Speaker 3:It just loved on me, and that was on campus and made you feel family and off campus.
Speaker 4:And that's what we try to do with our students Regardless of your background, your ethnicity, your experiences, regardless of all of that, we want to make sure that you feel like you matter and that you belong, and that's what I think makes us different than a lot of universities that I've been a part of or have interacted with.
Speaker 3:Well, I'll tell you something that I just applaud you for. We did an event this spring and the event was to help distress the students before finals. Help distress the students before finals. So y'all did an event and I and I never forget asking what is this event for, you know, and they're like, we want to take the stress off of our students, for them to have a day before their finals that they can just, you know, be them, you know, be around their peers, their peers and just love on each other. I saw so many of the faculty came out, loved on those students, shook their hands, talked to them, asked them how their family members were. That just stuck out to me. I've never seen that and I've visited other campuses, other universities. That stuck out to me because I'm like you're trying to take stress off of students before their finals to make sure that when they walk in there they're prepared and they are.
Speaker 4:they are less stressed than they were two days ago you know, yes, and I think one of the things that you know we've done and you talk to Amber Williams, I know is that we are a strength based campus, now Right, and we don't look at our students from a deficit mindset.
Speaker 4:We look at them and not say what you can't do, but what you can do Right, and we try to instill that in our students. Everything that we do, everywhere that we go, is like you can, you can Right, and you don't, you don't teach no, feel that in our students.
Speaker 3:Everything that we do, everywhere that we go, is like you can, you can right, and you don't. You don't teach, no, yeah, okay, you teach you can you know. Do we get no's in life? Yes, but, but you don't teach it. You teach, you can do, and, and long as you apply it.
Speaker 3:And my favorite scripture is faith without works is dead, and it it's. It sums up if you think about everything in your life, right, you got to have faith in God and you got to do the work, because it doesn't matter you know what checks your parents, right, it doesn't matter who you know. If you don't show up and go to class and you don't apply yourself, there's where the work is. If you don't apply yourself, then you can't climb, okay, and so so I use that scripture a lot because I'm like it sums up everything. We have to work it, even in our community, when we go out in the community, because I know you do a lot in your community and I want to talk about those things later on. But you know, if you didn't go down this path, what would my job was to be Johnny Cochran.
Speaker 3:That would have been a good one. Yes, you want me to tell you why he was amazing he was the first black lawyer I ever saw, and a real Like.
Speaker 4:you see him played on TV. That's the truth People often talk about. You can't be what you can't see, but that was true for me. I'm from Pahokee man. I ain't no lawyer that look like me. You hear what?
Speaker 3:he's saying A lot of people until that trial never saw a black attorney. And Johnny Cochran really did open eyes for all cultures to say well what? And I just remember. And he came on the scene guns blazing.
Speaker 4:And you know what did it for me? Right, what If the glove don't fit? You must have quit. Right, that did it for me. And so I wanted to be Johnny Cockman.
Speaker 3:So my you know when I got involved with SGA.
Speaker 4:I do remember.
Speaker 3:Do you remember? I tell Adrian this I was in high school. Yes, I told Adrian. I said Adrian that day, regardless if you believe, whatever the child part of it, that day will go down in history as it truly tore off the Band-Aid to everything between all races, all races. It truly, because when he started putting his hand in that glove, it truly showed a lot of people you know well. For one, it showed that Johnny Cochran was a genius at that, okay.
Speaker 4:But it just that's what I saw. Like you know, regardless of what.
Speaker 3:It made everybody.
Speaker 4:I wasn't. I was watching Johnny Cochran Me too, Because I was mesmerized about how your family members have it on every day, like through that school in social studies. I started school David was in.
Speaker 3:I think he said hyper. Yes, he said when, when they read the verdict because everybody talks about where was you at that day, because it was big, especially in the black community it was just like we had to know. We had to know what was going to happen and we followed that case. I don't know another case that we can honestly say there aren't other cases we follow, that we can honestly say there are other cases we follow. But that just really made us see a black man in a leadership role, just stand out amongst everybody.
Speaker 4:Because he did. He was a great lawyer not a great black lawyer. Right, he was a great lawyer, and so that's what stood out to me, and so that's why I was going to be a lawyer.
Speaker 3:Thank you for saying that, because I tell people sometimes people will make that statement that they're whoever's great. Oh, they're a great black lawyer. No, they're just a great lawyer. Don't try to downsize it that type of thing. So thank you for saying that about him and and showing what he did in your life. Think about it at a very young age, so that's what that's what so?
Speaker 4:So higher ed was never the goal I didn't even know higher ed was a profession yes, right.
Speaker 4:And then when I got that job in admissions and saw the lives that could be impacted and changed Right People who didn't have access but knew that if they got opportunity that they would be successful. Because I was one of those kids, I came to USF through the TRIO program right, federally funded grant program for you know first gen, you know low income students, and I was in student support services and I know what it meant for me, right, for somebody to say you know, know what, you may not have all this right, but we see potential right. And that's what I wanted to do for the next generation. And so when I took the job, I it felt that it didn't feel like work, it felt natural because I was going into communities um but urban rural, suburban right communities.
Speaker 4:when I talk about historically underserved communities, when I talk about under-resourced communities, everybody's in those communities, you know people of color and not. And I found myself going into communities and talking about education and providing access and realizing that, wow, if I didn't get paid to do this, I would still do it because I was loving it.
Speaker 3:Yes, it would feed my soul. So what do you want to talk about when it comes to what's going on now in the world?
Speaker 4:You know, education is important and I really want people to understand this idea when we talk about higher ed. I work at the University of Tennessee, so of course I want folks to think about coming to the University of Tennessee, but really, whatever that means for you, I think sometimes we don't understand the importance of some of our technical programs about and then, you know, often talk about multiple chances, multiple choices right.
Speaker 4:Right when, if Tennessee, is it for you there? You know I talked about my aunt going to KC right, which is HBCU right, correct, and for her that was the right place for her. I often ask her, you know, I would say, auntie, how did you end up at Knoxville College? You know I would say, auntie, how did you end up at Knoxville College? You know all the places, I'm like, you got FAMU down the road, you got Padun Cookmen, you got Elmwood Waters in Florida, all those.
Speaker 4:And she said because that was the place where I felt home, where I felt like I could bring my authentic self and I could be pushed and supported in a way that I needed. And so, as I think about this idea, sometimes people talk about well, you know, PWI versus HBCU, that's an individual decision. I agree.
Speaker 3:And it doesn't mean one is better than the other. It's where you fit that you can grow.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's all about growth and it's all about where you feel you can bring your authentic self right and then you can be successful. And so sometimes it's at HBCUs, sometimes it may be at a place like Tennessee, sometimes it may be at a place like Pellissippi or a community college, or it could be a TCAT Right, one of the colleges of applied technology.
Speaker 3:I think that people don't realize that it's. It's you talked about not comparing.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:OK, this is a good example for it. You shouldn't compare the schools. It's just what you feel, that where you can grow. And even though your mother or your father went to HBCU, that doesn't mean that's your path.
Speaker 4:Or vice versa. They may have gone to PWI, but if HBCU is where you want to be because you know, think about when we couldn't go to other places. You know, I still probably weekly talk to Theotis Robinson right, who was along with Charles. Edgar Blair and Willa Mae Gillespie were the first three African-American students admitted into UT at the undergraduate level.
Speaker 3:I got to meet one of them at your brunch and that let me just say that made my day at the undergraduate level.
Speaker 4:I got to meet one of them at your brunch, dr Robinson.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Let me just say that made my day and just to hear him talk and talk about his journey and talk about the things that he has helped implement, and it was just a great conversation y'all had. That was phenomenal.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much it really was, and he's a mentor and a sponsor to me yeah and he often talks about his journey at the University of Tennessee.
Speaker 4:But everybody's journey is different and I think we have to look at this as an individualized journey and not a collective journey, because what may work for you may not work for me, may not work for your daughter, may not work for your son, may not work for my wife, right? So it all depends on who we are as individuals and what journey we want to take in life.
Speaker 3:I agree. I think a lot of the word collective. You know, it got real popular about two years ago, two or three years ago and I said but everything is not supposed to be collective, okay, and I think people get caught up into that because your growth is individual, your individual growth, do you agree?
Speaker 4:Your individual growth, your individual decisions, because guess what? At the end of your life, whatever you believe, when you stand in front of whoever your maker is, it ain't going to have a crowd of everybody with you. It's going to be you and you have to account for your dash.
Speaker 3:I teach my kids that I'm like when I stand up there, my husband won't be standing beside me, and when he asks what's my works, he's talking about my works. He's not talking about your works. He's not talking about your works, he's not talking about your dad's works. So you have to realize, is the path that you go down, the legacy that you build, you have to realize that there will be a day of judgment and are you going to be able to say you know, I've done, I did all I could do to make a difference and what I had. And so that's where the collective I do understand some people can do that, but some people need individual identity. Right, you know, and people talk about your dash, right?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 4:On your tombstone right. You got your birth date and you got your death date and there's a dash right, and really the meaningful part is the dash, because that's what's happened between the time that you were born and the time that you died. And how are you going to make that meaningful? And that's why I think I do the work that I do and hire it, that's why I do the work that I do in the community, that's why I try to give back so much. It's because it's important. But somebody did it for me, right? People?
Speaker 3:did that for me and I want to pay it for. Yeah, and that's what you're supposed to do. You know, I'll tell you viewers off camera. I was telling Sharon with him and a lot of y'all already know about David's walk with his illness, and Tybee didn't know that, and Sharonaron, and the first thing was, oh wow, how good god is and how he restored him. You know, um, I'm so glad that god gave us a second chance so it wouldn't be a dash.
Speaker 3:Yet you see what I'm saying, because we're gonna go somewhere, somewhere, one day but what are you doing to make a difference in your life and where are you? Are you coming outside of you and just your family? Because you can't just do for you and your family, it has to be your community.
Speaker 4:What people have to understand is it doesn't have to be something so grand.
Speaker 2:It doesn't. People often think, well, I can't have to be something so grand it doesn't Right.
Speaker 4:You know, people often think well, I can't do what such and such does, or I can't do what they do, and nobody's called you to be anybody but you, and you bloom where you were planted, you do.
Speaker 3:You do, and there's some people that are supposed to be on the front line and then there's some people that is on the back line, but it doesn't mean that one's better than the other, because we all work together for the good and it may shift and it may shift.
Speaker 4:One day you may be at the front of the line you know, and leading the next day, you may be in the back of the line listening there you go listening. Yes, you have to listen and so I do think that I would encourage listeners to just make an impact, whatever, how big or small you think it might be. Make an impact.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you have to realize is making a difference. If you make a difference in someone's life, that's not in vain, that's you made a difference. Ok, if somebody else goes over and does a great event and it covers a group of people, that's great. But that doesn't minimize what another person did for one individual.
Speaker 4:One individual.
Speaker 4:When you look back at your time here of Knoxville and I don't know what success looks like, but I know that I just wanted to make an impact and the work that we did there and the changes that we made there.
Speaker 4:We now have the new broadband now and we have a process to provide access to low-income communities right, low-income families, you know, through the school system. When I think about the hundreds and hundreds of kids who come through NAS over my years there and the impact that we've made with those young people there, and the impact that we've made with those young people, when I think about the work that I did with Big Brothers, big Sisters and my littles and then serving on that board, when I look back at all of those kinds of things, I just want people to say that I made a difference and made an impact with what I had and what I was given. And then the last thing I'll say is my faith is super important and so you know, I'm a member of Overcome, a Believer's Church, obc, with Pastor Darrell Arnold and he's amazing.
Speaker 4:And through our church. One of the things that we talk about is we are the community's church, our physical building is the community's building, and that we just want to make sure that we position ourselves so that we can impact our communities and change lives. Because, really, if it boiled down to two things, I would say impacting communities and changing lives.
Speaker 3:You know one of the big thing and shout out to Pastor Arnold, because I know he's from Chattanooga, because I know he's from Chattanooga and I remember when he moved here and what God did in him and the growth he did in seven years. I mean it was impeccable, still impeccable and he still keeps going, you know, and giving so many young people opportunity and just giving back, loving on the community. So shout out to Pastor Arnold. So to wrap this up, if you had to pitch right now University of Tennessee and why someone should go to University of Tennessee, what would be your sales pitch?
Speaker 4:What would be your sales pitch? I would say it's a place that provides access, that you're going to feel like you matter and you belong, that you're going to be in a place that has a culture of respect and that you can build community. And I would say that you will also find that in Knoxville, because you can't separate the two. There will be people who want you to succeed. There will be people who will be in your corner, who will be your champions for anything that you want to do. That will help you get towards success, because when you look at universities across the country I said this earlier they're all the same. When you close your eyes, what makes a difference is the people, and I think the people here at the University of Tennessee and I think the people here in the University of Tennessee and I think the people here in the city of Knoxville. I will hold them up to anybody across the country.
Speaker 3:He said open your eyes and see a volunteer, and you done seen something.
Speaker 4:You done seen something. Yes, so that's what I would say to people.
Speaker 3:That would be if they wanted to come to University of Tennessee. Last question what's next? What's next for?
Speaker 4:Thomas Small? I don't know.
Speaker 3:I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
Speaker 4:I'm still trying to figure that out. I'm still figuring it out. I will let you know. I just want to make a difference, I just want to make an impact and I just want to. I want to use my dash to really help, help, help, help our world, and I don't know what that would be. We're doing a lot of international stuff here at UT now.
Speaker 4:I talked about the work we're doing in Rwanda and in South Africa and in Japan and in Puerto Rico, and we're taking students to these places and it is really just opening their eyes about what they could do and the impact they can make in the world. And so I just want to continue to do that. As long as I'm having fun, as long as my cup is still being filled, and as long as I feel like I'm making a difference and making an impact, then I'll continue to do this, that or until Tammy tells me I'm going to do something else.
Speaker 2:You know, that's boss, lady, that's boss lady.
Speaker 3:This. Tammy, shout out to Tammy, yeah, shout out. I thank you for sitting down with me and having a conversation and tackling some tough subjects and just giving people hope and giving them promise and saying University of Tennessee is the only one.
Speaker 4:Absolutely Go, vols Go.
Speaker 3:Vols Tune in every Friday to Talk in Tennessee. Bye guys.
Speaker 4:See ya.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Talk in Tennessee with Yvonca. Watch out for our weekly episodes from the First Family of Real Estate and check us out on the web wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom. See our videos on Yvonca's YouTube channel or find us on Facebook under Yvonca Landis and Twitter at Yvonca Landis, and don't forget to tell a friend about us. Until next time. Yvonca signing off.