Zadrian O Smith

PROFILE: “Mediocrity crumbles in the face of greatness.” You won’t find that quote in Bartlett’s Book of Quotations. It’s not credited to Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, or John F. Kennedy. It’s from Scholar Zadrian Smith and appears at the end of his biography for WFIT, the official radio and broadcasting channel at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Zadrian is a recent graduate of the associate’s degree program of the famous and respected Manhattan school and also served as the President and Senior News Correspondent for the on-campus station.  When his professors at FIT were asked to describe Zadrian, terms like self-starter, goal-driven, positive influence, motivator, hard worker, articulate, athletic, and humble were all listed. Those are all qualities of a successful journalist, a career Zadrian hopes to pursue full-time. Having already interviewed many celebrities from the world of entertainment, fashion, and publishing for WFIT, he’s well on his way to reaching his goal.

INSPIRATION: One of Zadrian’s key mentors has been Patrick O’Connell of Vogue magazine. “His positive regard towards life is contagious and he often scolds me at the mention of any negativity when we speak,” said Zadrian. “Patrick has helped me to refocus my objectives and goals in life and to clearly see how I can take advantage of my talents to impact society in any industry I opt to become a part of.”

ASPIRATION: Zadrian plans to continue his studies overseas this fall at the London College of Fashion and aspires to a career as a fashion editor or journalist.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Zadrian led the effort to make WFIT a viable media outlet for the campus community and surrounding area of the FIT in New York City. Zadrian was the point man of the effort to revamp the station.

ACCOLADES: To list just a few, Zadrian received the State Univeristy of New Yok Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence and was voted by his peers at FIT to serve as the vice president of communications for the college’s Student Association Executive Board.

INTERESTING FACT: Zadrian spent 17 months as a professional dancer for Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines and for the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company.