TRI-C STUDENT PROFILE
ADAM SMITH WANTED TO REDIRECT HIS DESIRE TO SERVE FOLLOWING A COMBAT INJURY. HE FOUND NEW FOCUS AT TRI-C. Standing atop a mountain outcrop in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan, the unmistakable hiss of danger stabbed at U.S. Army Sgt. Adam Smith’s senses. He barely had time to move before the incoming warhead arrived. The concussive blast from the explosion launched Smith into the rocks below. He shredded both elbows and busted multiple body parts while slamming back to the ground. That day in 2014 ended his military career. It also made him realize what it means to need help.
ANSWERING A NEW “I’ve been at a very low point,” the 34-year-old said. “So when I see other people suffering, when I see someone struggling or feeling hopeless, it hurts me. I want to make things better for them. I want to make things right.” Achieving that goal brought Smith to Cuyahoga Community College and Tri-C’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, where there’s a focus on civic engagement and leadership. He’s driven by the same ideal — a desire to serve — that prompted him to enlist in the Army after graduating from Ashtabula County’s Grand Valley High School. Smith became a paratrooper in the Army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division during his decade in uniform. He deployed to Afghanistan twice and spent a combined 31 months in the combat zone before being wounded. After returning home to recover from multiple surgeries, Smith looked around Northeast Ohio and saw a new way to direct his energy. He began by volunteering with Safe Passages, an initiative designed to connect opiate addicts with treatment. The program is run in partnership with local police departments. Smith said he has shepherded 38 people to treatment. STORY BY
John Horton Tamara London
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