ECU Alumnus Scott Avett Inspires Honors Students

By: McKenzie Shelton, EC Scholar and Honors College Junior

Spirited dancing and head-banging, cheering fans, dripping sweat, and subwoofers pulsing with heavy bass–perhaps this is the most familiar audience to North Carolina native Scott Avett of the successful folk-rock band The Avett Brothers. On Sunday, August 23, 2015, Scott addressed a somewhat different crowd at the East Carolina University Convocation ceremony. Nervously giddy freshmen (and certainly many fans) awaited the introduction of the inspiring ECU alum after several amusing hip-hop dance routines from our beloved college athletes. It is hard to say what the new members of Pirate Nation were thinking at this major collegiate event, but I remember distinctly what I was thinking and feeling. As a film major in the art department at ECU, I had been selected by the ECU Honors College to attend convocation as well as an intimate question and answer session with Scott. I was eager to meet someone as renowned and talented as Scott Avett. It was hard to believe that I was going to have the privilege to sit down with a man who had “made it;” a fellow artist who had struggled through the muck of the industry, and was now cruising the seas of accomplishment. Although I had grown up hearing of his band, I was only vaguely familiar with his music. I prepared myself for convocation by listening to The Avett Brothers exclusively and doing a bit of digging on his personal life. From first impressions via internet, the man seemed to be a balanced Southern rockstar.

Perhaps you will notice my casual use of Scott’s name as opposed to the more formal Mr. Avett, Sir, or the equally appropriate Your Esteemed Honor. I take the liberty of familiarity because I can confidently attest that Scott would prefer it that way. After his speech, which was filled with insight, honesty, and advice about artistic and academic diligence, Scott spoke cozily with ten other students and me in the Murphy Center. Aside from his appearance–an expertly fitted suit, rugged facial hair, and scorching blue eyes–it was obvious to everyone in the room that Scott Avett had it. I am not talking about the kind of it with which movie stars command the screen, but the kind of it that commands a room. He was at once friendly, intellectual, and entertaining. He told stories about botched film auditions with Anne Hathaway, moving tales of his father’s love, and spoke to us about the challenges of balancing family and life on the road. He moved us to tears with the sincerity with which he spoke of his love of living, learning, art, and family. We all came away from the experience as if from a baptismal—renewed in the faith of our chosen paths.

Scott’s brilliance lies in his devotion to leading a purpose-driven life. He implores us to believe that he is not on the other side of “making it.” He has not “arrived,” or any other dichotomy of the learner vs. the learned. Scott, with his humility and lust for life, indicates to us that we are always on the journey. We are always looking for the next opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our world while finding a way to serve others. Scott Avett is pleasantly and unexpectedly down-to-earth, honest, composed, and kind. He is a role model to myself and all of those who have the pleasure of his company. From this experience I feel more at peace than ever about pursuing what I love, making a difference in the world around me, and simply being happy. Thank you so much to East Carolina and the Honors College, for making this experience possible for me and my classmates.