Mr. Kameron Sumrall (' 17) graduated from ETBU with his Bachelor of Business Administration. Currently, he serves as a banker in the Private Bank at Frost Bank, providing banking and lending services to high-net-worth clients and, in many cases, taking the lead on steering their financial planning journey. He and his wife, Lily, are also proud parents to a 10-month-old little girl.
Following are Kameron's reflections on his time invested at ETBU.
The way I was able to see the Lord's work throughout the entire university is something I can't say that I've ever experienced before. You have so many diverse students, and in many cases, from very different walks of life and backgrounds. Then seeing how so many people were impacted by God's work, not only on but off campus, was indeed a life-changing experience.
I was fortunate enough to be part of the ETBU baseball program and had the unique opportunity to continue my education and playing career with my two best friends from high school, as well as my little brother.
So many people had a hand on me and my experience at ETBU, but two specifically stand out. The first of them is Coach Jared Hood. What stands out most to me when I think back to that time was how he always showed up for me. Baseball and being an athlete aside, he always understood that we were all men, trying to figure out and understand what it looks like to be successful, set standards for ourselves, and how we should deliver results based on those standards. The work ethic and ways he always encouraged us to carry ourselves have stuck with me to this day.
The other individual I can't go without mentioning is Dr. Eddie Hamby. If there is one person I could attribute my career and interest in finance to, it would be him. I changed my major upon my arrival at ETBU from Criminal Justice to Marketing. After a week of his 8 A.M. accounting class, I changed my major to accounting, which led me down a career path to where I am today. Because I transferred and changed my major, I was pretty far behind regarding credit hours if I wanted to graduate on a traditional 4-year schedule. With the help of Dr. Hamby and many early meetings, I was able to fit 4 years of accounting classes into 4 semesters and graduate on time. His ability to take complex topics, break them down, and make them relatable is why I was interested in this field.
The relationships I built, while I was at ETBU, are my strongest and closest relationships to this day. I have had the opportunity to attend sporting events, attend my friends' and teammates' weddings, and now have the honor of seeing them grow their families. Those relationships are ones that I feel will last a lifetime.
The education piece is incredibly important, but I think treating people fairly and honestly was the most significant impact. I'm blessed to work for a company that encourages me to do good and positively impact people's lives. In so many ways, my time at ETBU was preparing me for that same thing. With ETBU being such a small campus, there is such a large emphasis on community and relationships. Having a first-hand experience very early on in my adult life of other adults trying so hard to positively impact my life and make my life better prepared me to do the same for others now in my career.