The Smartest Kid in Class: How My Definition of Smart Changed Over Time

Do you remember the “smartest” kid in the class when you were in school? The one whose hand shot up first, ready with the right answer. The first one to volunteer for important tasks…the one who everyone wanted on their team when it came to group projects.

For me, that was Elizabeth from my college-level Algebra II class. With her keen sense for polynomial functions and exponential and logarithmic functions, I silently designated her as the benchmark, the one to beat. As fate would have it, I was not endowed with natural talent in mathematics (which is why I pursued writing as a career and not quantitative analytics). And my competitive nature would not let me accept a subpar grade in what would be my final required math class ever.

So I secretly competed with Elizabeth, the smartest girl in my class, for the top grade in Algebra II. I had never been so proud to earn a B.

I share this story to illustrate how the notion of being “smart” is fluid. It’s very possible that while Elizabeth might have been naturally gifted in mathematics, she likely worked really hard to get there. That’s talent and intelligence mixed with smart habits.

While I was far from being the smartest kid in that class, I applied smart study habits and leveraged my strengths—competitiveness and observation—to get a decent grade. Did I mention I got a B?! Twenty years later, I still can’t believe it.

And it’s very likely that the smartest kid in your class applied a similar mix of intelligence, smart habits, moxie, and perseverance to attain the “smartest kid” designation. There is always an opportunity to learn something new, from the classroom to the workplace we are gaining new skills and insight every day. 

At Cornerstone League, I see a similar approach in the work we do. Around here, we like to call it a “CUSmart” approach. 2020 taught us lessons in resilience and adaptability, which we leveraged in 2021 to be an innovative and nimble partner to our credit union members.

You’ll see in our recent impact report the various ways in which Cornerstone stood up for its members in the last year and a half.

With “smart” technologies infiltrating our daily lives, it’s important to visit the other side of what it means to be “smart.” What I like to think of as the original notion of “smart.” Being smart is so much more than natural talent and intelligence – it’s grit and gumption, collaboration and compassion, curiosity, and a never-ending supply of patience.

Cornerstone League members benefit from the collective intelligence of the brightest minds in the movement. I’m proud to work with forward-looking, adaptive, and responsive people who work tirelessly to expand our market share and elevate our members from smart to CUSmart.
  

   
Cornerstone's 2020 Impact Report

Read about how Cornerstone has served members throughout the year, including advocating for members on a federal and state level, providing enhanced communications, educational resources, guidance, reports, and more.