Meet JaCaleb Smith | Engineering Major & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with JaCaleb Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JaCaleb, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
The single most important decision I made would be deciding to go to college, despite graduating highschool in 2020(Covid introduction to US). If I didn’t come to college, I wouldn’t be here answering your questions in this interview today! Deciding to enroll in at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette(ULL) forced me to get out of my comfort zone and grow in all aspects of my personal life. My mental, physical, and social networking are all parts of my life that have grown expeditiously thanks to college. I would not have started my entrepreneurial journey without coming to Lafayette.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe my authenticity sets me and my brand apart from others. Even though I am an up and coming brand, the positive feedback I am already receiving speaks volumes. My personality shows through my artwork as well as the way I communicate with customers. I make every interaction more about connecting personally whereas most people just try to make their money and go on about their day. I want the world to understand the reason why I chose to start the “Antisocial Extrovert” collection. The reason being is because human beings are socially complicated so it’s not that simple to just be grouped as either introverted or extroverted. There are other personality types. The name “ANTISOCIAL EXTROVERT” is an ironic and contradicting ideology, which describes a lively person or a very social person, who has a reserved part that comes into play almost all the time, same time as they are being social. This is basically my brand’s mission statement and it describes me perfectly and I have been referring to myself as such, which is why I decided to start the brand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend came to Lafayette, the first place I would take them is KOK Wings and Things. It’s one of the best food places in Louisiana and definitely top 5 in Lafayette. After we eat, we would go explore Downtown Lafayette because they have several bars that we can go sit inside and vibe/ get drinks as well as a famous bowling alley called Rock and Bowl. Lastly, to enjoy nature some I would take them to Moncus Park to enjoy some sun and go for a nice walk around the park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank God first and foremost because without him I wouldn’t be where I am today! Then I would like to give a special shoutout to my mother, sister, and brother for always encouraging me to be better than I was yesterday, no matter how sad/defeated I felt. I want to shoutout my fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, for giving me brothers that want to see me succeed in every field of human endeavor and support me in whatever I choose to do. Lastly, I want to shoutout the Reginald F. Lewis Scholars Program for believing in me enough to make me an inaugural member of this up and coming scholarship program that wants all African American men in Louisiana to beat every statistic possible.

Instagram: @antis.ocialextrovert_

Twitter: @heartofalionxd

Other: personal instagram page: @theheartofalion