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Despite a COVID-19 pandemic and a flexible class schedule the past two years, Lavonda Hope Smith of Elizabethton has weathered the storm, so to speak, and has been named 2021 Student of the Year at TCAT Elizabethton. 

Most of her friends call her Hope. She typifies the nickname. She is also a cancer survivor who graduated from TCAT in 2012 with a diploma in business office occupations. Hope has five children who keep her busy at home. 

A graduate of Cloudland High School in Roan Mountain, Hope said she is proud to have been chosen TCAT Student of the Year. What are her future plans? “I majored in cosmetology and would like to open my own shop someday.”     

Smith said her instructor, Toni Campbell, was “awesome.” “It has been a pleasure to have Hope Smith in the cosmetology program. Hope has displayed excellent character and optimism during a challenging time for Career and Technical Education programs,” Campbell said. 

What is her Secret for Success? “I tell my children when someone or something knocks them down, get back up and be positive. Move forward even with the challenges that knock you down,” Smith said. 

Hope said her children and husband, Robert, are proud of her and the joy she has brought to them over the years. They rely on Hope for a bright future.