Dr. Klyne Smith, a computer science professor at UT Dallas, has worked in 52 countries. He spent nearly 30 years in corporate technology. Now, he leads a nonprofit that has helped hundreds of students enroll in college.
But Smith says his career is not about titles or recognition. It is about the people he inspires.
His love for technology began in ninth grade, when he stayed after school for three days to make Christmas lights flash different colors using the programming language BASIC. Watching lines of code produce visible results sparked something in him.
“That was fascinating to me,” Smith said. “From that point on, I’ve been hooked.”
That curiosity led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science at Xavier University of Louisiana. He now calls it one of the best decisions of his life, although he admits his college choice was not fully thought out.
“I chose that university because they had 10 women to every guy,” Smith said.
Smith describes Xavier as transformative. It made him rethink discipline, direction and what he wanted long-term.
Smith says he does not regret his choice. But he knows it was not well informed. He hopes students today will make more intentional decisions.
“I want students to understand the process,” he said. “I want them to make decisions based on purpose, not just perception.”
After graduating, Smith built a long career in corporate technology, working all over the world. Over time, he said, the most important lesson he learned had little to do with code.
“You have to be comfortable with who you are,” he said. “If your hands are always full, you can’t receive anything. But if they’re open, you can.”
At 50, he stepped away from corporate leadership and shifted into full-time teaching. By then, he had already been mentoring students for years.
That commitment to guidance grew into Your Next Steps-US, the nonprofit he founded to help students navigate college and career pathways. The organization has helped more than 1000 students enroll in college, with 90% receiving scholarships and 95% securing employment after graduation.
Smith said the barrier is rarely talent; it is access to information. Nationally, 33.8% of high school graduates do not pursue postsecondary education.
“It’s not because they don’t want to,” he said. “It’s because they don’t know how.”
Many mentors in the program were once mentees, a cycle Smith hopes will continue.
For nearly four decades, Smith has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. He recently worked with UT Dallas to help establish a chapter on campus.
“Kappa’s goal is to help Black men achieve,” Smith said.
When asked what Black excellence means to him, he kept it simple.
“It’s about helping raise people below you to be at the same level as you and even above you,” he said. “It’s about elevation.”
In his classroom, in his fraternity and through his nonprofit, that idea appears the same way: pushing people forward.
“Measure your success against where you were yesterday,” he said. “Not against someone else.”
For Smith, excellence isn’t about standing alone.
It’s about making sure others move forward.
