A doctor in the house: Owl-Smith attended an eight-week program for minority students at UNC-Chapel Hill in the summer of 1982. Because of her success in that program, she was accepted into medical school at Chapel Hill and graduated with high honors four years later as a medical doctor. From med school, she entered the pathology residency program at UNC-Chapel Hill and became a practicing pathologist at the age of 42. Today, she is a pathologist and laboratory medical director at Haywood Regional Medical Center.

A diagnosis for all: In May 2006, Owl-Smith received WCU’s Alumni Award for Academic and Professional Achievement in front of her family, 900-plus graduating students, and a close-to-capacity crowd at spring commencement. After receiving her award, she spoke to the graduates about the importance of doing good. “As a practicing pathologist, I’m obligated to make accurate diagnoses, and today I have a diagnosis for all of us,” she said. “We all have a terminal illness called life. So I challenge you to go out there and get a real life—a life not just of the mind, but of the soul—a life where you do good.”