Catching up with Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith did a bang-up job at Huntington High School, graduating as one of the most accomplished students in the Class of 2007. She is so well-regarded that even her elementary school teachers still have pride in their voices when they speak about her and they want the larger community to know just what a remarkable young women she is.
A National Merit “commended student” and Advanced Placement Scholar, Ms. Smith earned the Principal’s Award as a senior at Huntington. She fast at work finding even more success at Boston College, where she expects to graduate in May 2011.
The Huntington alum is a psychology major, with a minor in Hispanic studies and studio art. “As a psych major, I was a research assistant in the Lab in Teaching, Learning & Cognition in the Arts, which studies the cognitive and affective components of learning in the arts, examining the visual arts, music, theatre and fiction,” she said. “It’s a very nice way to combine my interests.”
The Blue Devil marching band community will also be happy to know that Ms. Smith has joined the BC band. “It’s a brass-focused band that doesn’t include clarinets, my primary instrument, so I had to switch to alto sax, which I learned at band camp,” she said. “We played at all BC football games and had special performances in Tampa Bay at the ACC football game and at Fenway Park where we played the national anthem.”
Right now, Ms. Smith is far from her college campus. “I’m currently abroad in Ecuador and loving every minute here,” she said. “I’m studying at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, through a Boston College program. There are 13 of us BC students here.”
Can-do Attitude
There is little doubt that Ms. Smith is an adventurous soul and has the perfect personality to quickly adapt to conditions as needed. Her teachers back in Huntington always had the utmost confidence in her and for good reason. She has a can-do attitude and can solve problems better than just about anyone.
“My primary goal here is to become as fluent as possible in Spanish,” Ms. Smith said about her time in Ecuador. “I’ve been making big strides, as all of my classes here are in Spanish and I’m living with a host family who only speaks Spanish. As part of the BC program, we have volunteer placements. I’m teaching English as well as working with children with developmental disabilities.”
At Huntington, Ms. Smith was a member of the Nathan Hale chapter of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, English Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
It’s not surprising that Ms. Smith spent plenty of time carefully considering various college possibilities in the run-up to her high school graduation. Her eventual choice of schools has proven to be a wise one.
Loved BC from Start
“I loved BC right from the start,” she said. “Undoubtedly, the greatest thing about BC is its spirit, in several senses of the word. Everyone is happy to be there and very involved on campus. Most visible to the outside, the spirit for our sports teams is incredible. I love being a super-fan and going to the exciting games, especially football. On the inside, there's a spirit for service and becoming ‘men and women for others.’ I find that overall, students work very hard but still find time to have fun and become involved in many clubs and service activities.”
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Her time in South America is offering experiences that could never be duplicated on the Boston College campus. “I’ve learned a great deal here as we’ve done tons of traveling to the different regions of Ecuador,” she said.
Ms. Smith’s courses this semester in Ecuador include Cultura y Civilización Iberoamericana (Culture and Civilization), a required course just for the Boston College group taught by its on-site coordinator. The class features literature, politics and many field trips to the different regions of Ecuador. The four other courses include a literature class, El Boom Latinoamericano (Latin American Boom); a political science class chiefly relating to Latin American- U.S. relations, Temas de America Latina (Latin American Themes); Español Avanzado (Advanced Spanish) and Dibujo II (Drawing) a drawing course focusing on the human face and anatomy.
Favorite College Activity
At Boston College, Ms. Smith said her favorite activity “has been teaching ESL to a group of adults through the Boston College Neighborhood Center. This past year, I worked with an undergraduate co-teacher to prepare and teach my own lessons for a small group of adults learning the English language.”
She also “loves” participating in the Boston College Residence Hall Association. “For the past two years I have worked in the Communications department, which advertises programs to the student body, by designing and distributing posters,” she said. “I’ve designed several logos and T-shirts.”
Next up when the Huntington grad returns to the United States is diving into the undergraduate student government at Boston College. “I was recently appointed one of three directors of visual communications,” Ms. Smith said. “I will oversee design and production of advertising materials for campus events.”
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