I recently invited my clients to think about someone they’re grateful for and then to reach out and thank them. As I thought about the person I wanted to thank, I realized I couldn’t do it.

On May 18, 2023, Kim Smith passed away. Few people have had as large of an impact on my life as he did.

I first met Kim Smith in 2006. I was a sophomore in college and one of my professors led a trip to New York. Our group of 15 students spent two days visiting Wall Street investment banks. I was young, ambitious, and had no clue what I was doing. Kim worked at Goldman Sachs, the gold standard in finance. We interacted briefly. He was confident and generous. I found him intimidating.

The following year I got an internship at Lehman Brothers. This led to a full-time offer, which I quickly accepted. Heading into my final year of college, I was asked to serve as the president of the Investment Banking Club. The focus of the club was to help students find jobs on Wall Street. Around that time, Kim left Goldman to come to BYU. He taught several courses, but he really came to help students launch their career.

Kim became the faculty advisor to the Investment Banking Club. It was early fall of 2007 and there seemed to be more interest in Wall Street than ever before. Banks had ramped up recruiting and tons of students wanted to get into investment banking. Kim and I held events, planned trips to New York, and did everything we could to help students find internships and full-time jobs. We helped place a record number of students in Wall Street positions.

I was also Kim’s teacher’s assistant for two semesters. We spent a lot of time together. This was a pivotal year in my life. Like I said, I was young and ambitious. I was also engaged to be married. I wanted to have it all. A great job. A great wife. A family. Everything.

There weren’t many on Wall Street I looked up to. Many investment bankers had prestige and made a lot of money, but their personal lives were a train wreck. Many were divorced and estranged from their kids. I didn’t want that.

Kim had it all. A fast-paced, rewarding career. A beautiful, loving family. He served in the church and donated generously. I wanted to be like Kim.

I graduated from BYU in 2008. A few months later, Lehman Brothers imploded. I transitioned to Barclays after they acquired many of Lehman’s assets, but eventually I got laid off. I was optimistic at first, but reality soon set in. I couldn’t find a job. I was unequipped to deal with the challenge.

Despite his busy schedule, Kim set aside time to speak with me on multiple occasions. He helped me think through my options. He made introductions. He encouraged me. He took me to breakfast one morning. I’ll never the kindness he showed to me during this period.

When I was an MBA student, I approached Kim about a project I was working on. I was writing a career development book and wanted his perspective. Without being asked, Kim generously opened his network and made several introductions.

Two summers back, I visited Kim in an assisted living center. His health had declined. While I was there, we looked through a photo book one of his former students had put together. It included pictures and quotes from all the students he impacted. There were hundreds of them. Hundreds. I got emotional thinking about the impact he had on so many lives. I didn’t realize that was the last time I would see him.

Kim Smith leveraged his talents to bless the lives of others. He left a legacy of service. I miss him.

I want to be like Kim.