ACE Names LaMarr A. Smith and Justin Darnall 2017 Students of the Year

February 21, 2018

LaMarr A. Smith, a health claims representative and business student from Buffalo, NY, and Justin Darnall, a Marine veteran and aspiring aerospace engineer from Denver, CO, are ACE's 2017 Students of the Year.

Smith and Darnall will be presented with the honor at the closing plenary on March 13 at ACE2018, ACE’s 100th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

The Student of the Year Award, formerly the Adult Learner of the Year Award, is presented annually by ACE to one or more individuals who have benefited academically or professionally from the use of ACE credit recommendations for workforce or military training. Recipients must demonstrate outstanding achievements in their community or workplace while successfully balancing the demands of family, career, and education.

“I can’t think of a better way to highlight the impact adult learners have on the higher education landscape than recognizing the accomplishments of these two students, who are striving to not only better themselves, but also their peers,” said Ted Mitchell, ACE president. “They are an inspiration, for both adult and other nontraditional learners and anyone who has to overcome multiple challenges and barriers to success.”

Smith, who was nominated by former employer Fidelis Care in New York, is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Thomas Edison State University (NJ). After high school, Smith dreamed of earning a degree but had difficulty finishing community college. After he dropped out, he battled depression and homelessness. But upon asking a counselor for help, he began volunteering with local nonprofit organizations in the Buffalo Area and joined the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., where he currently serves as the director of publicity for Theta Sigma Chapter.

ACE 2017 Student of the Year LaMarr A. Smith, a health claims representative and business student from Buffalo, NY

Never giving up on his dream of finishing college, he was able to accumulate via workplace training 100 credits towards his bachelor’s in business administration using ACE’s College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT®).

“Growing up as an African American on the east side of Buffalo, I didn’t see a lot of men who looked like me attending college,” Smith said. “Now I am working to become the first college graduate in my family, and thanks to ACE’s support, I will be able to reach my goals of starting my own business and becoming a father and homeowner, and heal from my past experiences.”

Darnall began his career with the U.S. Marine Corps. Returning to Colorado after several deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa, he focused on getting more military training as an aircraft mechanic. He was able to use ACE credit recommendations to get Federal Aviation Administration-approved training to work on civilian aircraft and began working on commercial and passenger aircraft in Fort Worth, TX. In 2016, Darnall enrolled in Metropolitan State University of Denver and is currently working toward getting his degree in aerospace systems engineering technologies with a minor in mathematics. In his spare time, he works at the university’s Veteran Education Benefits Office helping his fellow veterans achieve academic success and serves as a senator in the Student Government Assembly.

ACE 2017 Student of the Year Justin Darnall, a Marine veteran and aspiring aerospace engineer from Denver, CO

“ACE set me up for success as a civilian before I even became a civilian,” said Darnall. “Without the credit recommendations from all of the high-level technical training I received in the military, I would not be where I am today in my career and academic ambitions.”

ACE's College Credit Recommendation Service and Military Evaluations are forms of credit for prior learning. The programs evaluate employers' workplace education and training programs, military courses and occupations, and recommend academic credit when that learning is college level.

“These two men fully embody the spirit of this award, and it’s a testament to their achievements that we wanted to honor two recipients this year,” said Louis Soares, ACE’s vice president of strategy, research, and advancement. “Through their commitment to education and leadership, they demonstrate the contributions nontraditional students bring to their campuses and their communities.”

Both recipients will receive a $1,000 scholarship to help continue their education.