Tylond Horton

Student

“We’ve got a family tradition where everybody’s gone on to four-year colleges. It would be a pity for me to break with that.”

There aren’t many moments in ‘Ty’ Horton’s usual day for play. He’s either at work in a supermarket for what he calls “pocket change” or bearing down hard in his studies for an eventual career in business management. But he recalls one recent moment of recreation, gleefully, when he almost shot Keanu Reeves. “I love going out to shoot paintballs, and Keanu was there one day. I tried to shoot him,” Ty reports with a chuckle, “but he was too fast.” And Keanu’s escape was unusual because Ty normally hits what he sets his sight on.

“I want to go into management in some white-collar field like telecommunications,” says Ty who plans to transfer to Grambling College. “I think I’ll be a good manager because I work well with people. I listen. I’ve got good directional skills, and I’m a people person. I haven’t been in the field yet,” he continues. “But I know that once I set a goal for myself in business, I’m going to be able to accomplish it.” And one of the goals Ty has set for himself is an eventual MBA. “I plan on pushing myself for that advanced degree because that piece of paper talks,” he says. And he adds that he’s received a lot of help through SMC’s Counseling Office.

“Clifton Dobbs has helped me put together a program that lets me transfer out of here after one year. And we’re making sure that all my credits are going to transfer,” says the recent high school graduate. “SMC has been a great environment for me to develop my skills. This college is a big change from high school,” he continues. “But my family is behind me 100 percent. They’re really proud that I’m on the right track.” Ty doesn’t see a day in the near future for any paintball rematches with Hollywood stars. “Right now,” he says, “life is all about serious business. And work.”

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