Michigan State football's Armorion Smith is raising 5 siblings since his mother's death

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Armorion Smith pressed his palms together over the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen sink.

The 21-year-old Michigan State defensive back needed a moment in the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home he shares with five younger siblings. He has a lot on his plate, more than most college students and certainly more than most student-athletes.

His mother, Gala Gilliam, died of breast cancer a month ago and without a father in the family's life, Smith has become the head of the household while studying criminal justice and playing major college football. He became the legal guardian for four siblings on Sept. 11.

“My cards were given to me," Smith said softly with a steely gaze, standing on a small porch behind the home as the sun set on a recent evening. "I didn’t choose my deck of cards.”

His 19-year-old sister, Aleion, is in charge while he is gone for about 12 hours most days to be a student and athlete. Appreciating her selfless sacrifice, Smith said he hopes to help her find a way to start taking classes next semester while juggling her role with the family.

Smith looks and sounds determined to help his siblings be happy, healthy and safe. His teammates watch in awe.

“I couldn’t even begin to imagine if I was in his situation," linebacker Jordan Hall said. “He’s in a tough spot, but he is one of the strongest guys I have ever known.”

Smith grew up in in Detroit, recalling how he was homeless at times and hopped from house to house to find places to sleep. He was a three-star prospect at River Rouge High School and attended the University of Cincinnati for two years.

After Smith's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 during his sophomore season with the Bearcats, he transferred last year to be closer to home. The life lessons from his mom continued.

When Smith, holding his 2-year-old sister, arrived at a recent fundraiser, each of his other siblings introduced themselves to people there to support the family and shook their hands while making eye contact.

“That's from my mom,” he said.

She was trying to prepare him for what was to come before she died Aug. 19. She was 41.

“She used to tell me everything: ‘Get hard’ and all of that,” he recalled. “And I see why she was under a lot of stress.”

Smith keeps notes on his phone to help manage busy days that start before dawn, when he is up to make sure his two sisters and three brothers are awake before he leaves for school. Smith gets a lift from a teammate or a ride-hailing service to make the 4-mile trip to campus for therapy on his surgically repaired shoulders and meetings with the football team before going to classes and practice.

His eldest sister gets their 16-, 15- and 11-year-old brothers — Armond, Avaugn and Arial — ready for school. There are two varieties of Cap’n Crunch atop the refrigerator in a kitchen that didn't have a table or chairs during a recent visit.

The school-age brothers rely on a ride-hailing company to get them to school and back while their oldest sister cares for their toddler sister, Amaira.

“Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat,” he said. “While I’m in college sports, she’s got to be able to take care of everything that I can’t do, like pick up where I left off, while I’m taking care of business.”

He and the siblings he is now responsible for at least have a home thanks in part to a GoFundMe campaign.

While Smith’s story is unusual in college sports — the NCAA does not track the number of athletes whose day-to-day activities include caring for a dependent — a 2020 study from the National Center for Education Statistics found 19.5% of undergraduate college students had a dependent and 5.5% of them were responsible for non-child dependents. Other research shows student-caregivers are disproportionately from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups.

Ray Ray McElrathbey was a 19-year-old freshman at Clemson in 2006 when he took over custody of his 10-year-old brother because of his mother’s drug problems and his father’s gambling addiction. Initially, they lived solely off McElrathbey’s scholarship and later the NCAA approved a plan where donations were administered by a local bank and distributed to Ray and Fahmarr. His story was the subject of “Safety,” a Disney movie.

When McElrathbey was a child and saw “Angels in the Outfield,” it inspired him because he felt there were other children out there like him. These days, he does speaking engagements and shares his message of hope with young people.

“Just kind to speak to those kids in a similar situation like I was growing up and have them have something to inspire them is the greatest gift,” he said.

Tufts University professor Emma Armstrong-Carter, who has done research on children caregivers, said these young people show amazing strength and don’t want to be pitied.

“Isn't it incredible that these young people are able to overcome so many challenges and support their families in ways that are necessary and meaningful?” Armstrong-Carter said. “There's a need for more institutional support to help them thrive.”

Smith and his family are able to afford renting a house in the state capital, paying for utilities, bills, food and ride-hailing services thanks to waves of financial support. The GoFundMe effort has raised more than $60,000, and he makes some money through name, image and likeness deals. Michigan State has helped through a student assistance fund. Two fundraisers were hosted at a McDonald's in Lansing and an IHOP in Livonia set up by former Michigan State football players Jason Strayhorn and Sedrick Irvin and promoted on their “This is Sparta MSU” podcast.

Road trips are part of the calendar and the Spartans don't play two home games in a row until the end of the season in November, though two bye weekends will give Smith more time at home.

One of his mother's close friends, Yolanda Wilson, whose son, Nick Marsh, is a standout freshman receiver and former high school teammate, has been a source of support.

“I’m going to be there no matter what," she said. "That’s a promise I made to their mother. And they have everybody here backing them up. So, it’s going to be a hard transition as it is, but we’re going to be that tight-knit community and have their back.”

The love is not lost on Smith.

“Me and my family are very happy, very appreciative and grateful," he said. "There’s a lot of love Spartan Nation has shown us these past few months. It’s been a rough time, but to be able to take some of the stress off of my shoulders and show me a lot of love is a blessing and has warmed my heart.”

When Smith gave The Associated Press access to his home one recent evening, three siblings were upstairs in their bedrooms while a teenage brother was napping on a sectional couch in a living room without a TV or table. His toddler sister giggled between drinks from a sippy cup.

“It just puts a smile on my face to see them happy," he said while watching video clips from practice on his phone.

Smith's sadness comes and goes, but he knows his mother would want him to carry on.

“I can feel her living through me," he said. "Almost like I hear her voice telling me how proud she is of me.”

AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed. Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter.com/larrylage

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Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, watches game video on his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith, right, listens as secondary coach Blue Adams, left, talks to players on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Armorion Smith, left, reviews game video on his phone as he sits with his siblings, from left, Arial, Aleion, Amaira, Armond, and Avaugn, at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, watches game video on his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, checks his phone at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Aleion Smith, holds her sister Amira, while their brother Arial, sits in the living room at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Arial Smith, left, talks with his little sister Amira, while their brother Armond sleeps on the couch at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, stands in his kitchen at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) takes the field with teammates before an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) watches during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith (19) gets into formation for a kickoff during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

This photo provided by Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith shows his mother, Gala Gilliam, who died a month ago after battling breast cancer and was survived by six children, June 21, 2024, in River Rouge, Mich. (Armorion Smith via AP)

Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, sits on the steps at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Armorion Smith, right, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, walks through the living room with his siblings at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Armorion Smith, an NCAA football player at Michigan State, takes a moment by himself at home in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

WASHINGTON (AP) — With its larger-than-usual half-point cut to its key interest rate last week, the Federal Reserve underscored its belief that it's all but conquered inflation after three long years.

The public at large? Not so much.

Consumer surveys, including one released Friday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, show that most Americans remain unhappy with the economy, still bruised by an inflation rate that hit a four-decade high two years ago as the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession.

Yet in the view of some economists, the shift toward steadily lower borrowing rates could eventually boost consumer sentiment. Inflation has sunk for more than two years and is nearly back down to the Fed's 2% target. Though that means overall prices are still rising, they're doing so much more slowly.

The costs of some high-profile consumer goods, from used cars to grocery prices, have actually been falling. Economic history suggests that a low, stable inflation rate, with prices rising only gradually, eventually leads Americans to adapt to higher price levels. One favorable factor is that average incomes are now rising faster than prices, allowing more households to afford necessities.

The issue remains a heated one in the political campaign. Seeking to capitalize on public discontent, former President Donald Trump has blamed the Biden-Harris administration's policies for having caused inflation to spike. Yet Friday's AP poll found that voters are now roughly split on who they think would better handle the economy, Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. Back in June, an AP poll had found that six in 10 disapproved of President Joe Biden's economic record.

That is a sign that, at least seen through a political prism, Americans' economic views have begun to brighten.

Powell also provided a colloquial definition of the Fed's mandate to seek “price stability.”

“A good definition of price stability," he said, "is that people in their daily decisions, they’re not thinking about inflation. That’s where everyone wants to be — back to, ‘What’s inflation?’ Just keep it low, keep it stable.”

Powell did not suggest that the Fed had fully succeeded in that goal. He acknowledged that consumers are still “experiencing high prices, as opposed to high inflation,” which he said is “painful.” But, he added, “I think we’ve made real progress.”

Sofia Baig, an economist at the polling firm Morning Consult, noted that Americans still see high prices as a financial burden. According to Morning Consult surveys, she said, when most people think about inflation, they think about how much lower prices were two or four years earlier. Fed officials and economists, by contrast, typically measure success in shorter-term durations — prices compared with a year ago, six months ago, even one month ago.

Over time, Baig said, consumers typically adjust to higher prices, particularly as their incomes catch up.

“You hear your grandparents talking about a bottle of Coke costing some egregiously low amount,” she said. “So inflation has always been happening, but, at a certain point you kind of take in the new prices and get used to it.”

Some of the gloom surrounding the economy has likely been heightened by the political attacks Trump and his Republican allies have waged for three years against the Biden-Harris administration, focused relentlessly on inflation. Many economists have noted that high inflation was a global phenomenon after the pandemic recession, caused largely by shortages of parts and labor, and was just as severe overseas as it was in the United States. Inflation worsened the next year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent food, oil and gas prices soaring.

According to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey, Democrats' outlook on the economy is more positive now than on the eve of the pandemic, in February 2020. Sentiment among Republicans, in contrast, has plunged by nearly two-thirds. Among independents, sentiment is still 40% below its pre-pandemic level.

Neale Mahoney, an economist at Stanford, said his research shows that the hit to consumer sentiment from an inflation spike fades by about 50% a year. Yet Mahoney noted that the influence of politics has intensified in this election cycle.

“We are witnessing a tug of war between fading concerns about inflation and dialed-up partisanship heading into the election,” said Mahoney, who was an adviser to the Biden White House in 2022-2023.

Baig also cites the influence of social media, which has been rife with photos and videos of consumers pointing to exorbitant prices, for dimming Americans' view of the economy.

Though average prices won't likely return to where they were before the pandemic, slower inflation can help speed the adjustment process. Groceries still cost much more than they did three years ago, but in the past 12 months they've risen just 0.9%. The average cost of a gallon of gas has plummeted 17% from a year ago, to $3.22, according to AAA. In 14 states it's below $3. The cost of a new rental lease is down 0.7% in the past year, figures from Apartment List show.

And in 2023, median household income rose 4% faster than prices, the first gain in inflation-adjusted income since the pandemic, the Census Bureau reported this month.

Some Americans do see prices as settling down. Tisha Deloney of Arlington, Virginia, said she was initially miffed when her company provided a smaller cost-of-living adjustment for this year of about 3%, down from the 8% she remembers when inflation was peaking. But when her rent rose two months ago, it ticked up by a much smaller amount than it had in previous years.

“It felt more normal,” said Deloney, 38. “I definitely feel like inflation has come down. It feels better.”

Some early signs suggest that other people may soon feel the same way. Consumer sentiment rose in September for a third straight month, according to preliminary figures from the University of Michigan. The brighter outlook was driven by “more favorable prices as perceived by consumers” for cars, appliances, furniture and other long-lasting goods.

Since 2022, Morning Consult has surveyed shoppers on whether the costs of goods and services they've bought have been pricier than they expected. That measure has tumbled from two years ago, a sign that many Americans are adjusting to higher costs.

And while people continue to cite inflation as a leading concern, according to surveys, they now expect it to remain low in the coming years. The Michigan survey found that expectations for inflation a year from now fell in September for the fourth straight month to 2.7%. That was the lowest such figure since December 2020.

On Friday, Christopher Waller, an outspoken member of the Fed’s governing board, suggested in an interview on CNBC that there's even a risk that inflation could fall well below the central bank's 2% target in the coming months — a key reason, Waller said, that he supported last week's half-point rate cut.

Waller noted that, excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices rose at just a 1.8% annual rate in the past four months.

If inflation kept cooling at its current pace, Waller said, he could support additional half-point rate cuts.

“Inflation," he said, “is softening much faster than I thought it was going to.”

Prices for eggs are seen at a grocery store in Chicago, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A customer passes an array of beverages while shopping at a grocery store in Chicago, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

FILE - A motorist fills up the gasoline tank of a vehicle at a Costco warehouse Aug. 22, 2024, in Parker, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

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