Finalist
Teri Smith
St. Leo University
Graduate Student in MBA
Program
3.84 GPA
“Our SG has grown so much this year. I’m really proud of our executive board,” Smith says. “We all came in fresh and new, and we all had our own strong ideas and goals. I allowed their own leadership potential to come out. If you tell them, ‘I’m in charge, you bow down to me, and do this,’ you won’t have their talents come out. I’ve learned in my classes and in work that it’s really important to allow them to have a voice. It will allow you to see a different perspective and in the end achieve a better goal.”
“She was able to change her leadership style, from doing everything on her own to using the talents of her executive board,” says Edward W. Dadez, vice president for student affairs. “At times, it was difficult for her. What she learned is that each of us are talented individuals, and none of us needs to micromanage each other.“She’s built communication effectively within the executive board,” he says. “She implemented a LISTSERV just among the e-board members, which has taken communication to a whole other level. Teri really spearheaded that. She didn’t have to run to each person’s room to see if they’re getting things done. She learned to trust people to get things done.”
Under Smith’s leadership, SGU worked on improving the cafeteria and having a set lunch schedule. “The issues may seem small, but for us, they’re really large,” Smith says. “We’re trying to meet the needs of our students, but we also do larger issues. After 9/11 terrorist attacks, we all joined together and unanimously voted to send $7,000 to New York to aid those in need.”
As SGU president, Smith serves as a member of the University Senate, the Informational Technological Advancement Committee, and the Cafeteria Improvement Committee. She also is an Ambassador for the office of the president.
Smith is one of eight St. Leo students who serve as “Student Chaplains.” “The Chaplains relate the spiritual aspects from a student perspective,” Smith says. “We try to have a Student Chaplain on each floor, if students need someone to talk to or need a friend. RAs do the same thing, but sometimes you need another person to go to. Everything told to us is confidential.”Smith says serving as a Chaplain is a major honor, even though she’s compensated. “Some people may think of it as a job, but to me, you have to want to do this. You have to feel that you can help someone. There’s no real requirement on time expenditure, but if you’re passionate, it could be a 24-hour thing. I try to get to know our residents—if students know you’re there for them, you can reach out to them.”
Through her three years of service to “Samaritans,” St. Leo’s community service group, Smith has worked with Best Buddies and America Reads. Each Student Chaplain coordinates “service sites,” says Smith, who currently serves as Samaritans vice president. She was named “Outstanding Executive Team Leader” last spring and also earned awards for outstanding volunteer service for the past three years. “With Best Buddies, we’re in charge of the actual project. We try to get people to come to it with us. It’s a really great experience.”
Smith went on a mission trip to Haiti in spring 2000 and 2001, and also helped fund-raise for the Appalachian mission trip this spring.“She gets very, very enthusiastic about projects and is willing to go out and beat on doors and get people up,” says Dr. Douglas Astolfi, vice president of academic affairs.
Astolfi first noticed Smith’s potential when, as a freshman, she organized an academic affairs symposium for students and deans. “We offered it in the past, but students don’t always turn out. She made it work,” Astolfi says. “She surveyed students—‘what are you interested in academics and what are your issues.' She surveyed the Greeks, all of the ‘jocks,’ and went down to athletics department and talked to coaches. She was smart enough to focus the questions and discussion on areas of student interest, and it worked out really well. We had 45 to 50 students in a room instead of four or five.“She comes in regularly to harass me, and I mean that in a positive way,” Astolfi says. “There’s some days she drives me crazy—she plagues me to get what she wants. She’s very determined, in the best of ways. She’s the kind of kid that breaks molds, rethinks the way things can be done, then goes about doing them. In my 20 years in academia, she’s in the top five percent. I think she’s our finest leader. She’s the kind of kid who everyone likes but respects.”
As the daughter of an Air Force officer, Smith is now active in the Air Force ROTC detachment offered through the University of South Florida. “My goal is to have a career in the Air Force,” Smith says. I grew up in a military background and family. It’s a lifestyle you become accustomed to. I love it—you get to travel, which is awesome. You learn so much—leadership, discipline, you name it. I can’t see myself doing anything else for my career but the military. I know I can help and make a difference.” Smith and other cadets take ROTC classes at St. Leo but must travel to USF in Tampa twice a week to meet other requirements. “Once students find out I’m doing ROTC, they’re really supportive,” Smith says. “It would be awesome to have an office at St. Leo.”“When you see her, you’re wondering where she finds the fortitude and initiative to be in the Air Force ROTC,” Dadez says. “She’s not the gung-ho military type of person but sees it as a commitment to herself and to the country. There’s a patriotic theme that surprises me.”
Smith earned her undergraduate degree in health-care administration, and after completing her MBA studies and earning an Air Force commission, she hopes to serve in the medical corps. “I hope to be a hospital administrator,” she says. “I’m not sure where I’ll be in the world, as they move you around a lot.”“She doesn’t really realize how competent she is yet, but she makes whoever associates with her better people,” says Dr. Frank Arnold, associate professor in St. Leo’s School of Business. “She’s the real deal. Her grades are legitimate. Nothing was a gift. She’s clearly the top student leader here.”
The director of graduate business studies at St. Leo concurs. “I think her peers would probably say Teri is ‘student of the year,’” says Dr. Lynn Wilson.“She has these goals in her life, but nothing’s going to stop her,” Dadez says. “From all my years of working with students, I’ve never seen a person who has set these goals in concrete and then never turns from that goal. In my 25 years of higher education experience, she would rate as one of the finest SGU presidents.”
Smith’s work as student chaplain, plus a job at Payless ShoeSource help cover college expenses, along with scholarships and grants.“Teri is first-rate,” says Arthur F. Kirk, Jr., St. Leo’s president. “She volunteers, works on campus to help pay the bills, and is an excellent student who actually earned her BA credit by December and started her MBA ahead of schedule. She’s well-rounded, has great integrity, and strives for excellence. She measures up with the best anywhere.”
As Smith nears the end of her St. Leo experience, she wonders what impact she has made. “The one thing people will remember about me is that I tried to give everyone a voice, and I gave them the option to pursue a goal,” she says. WHOJContact Smith at militarybrat13@hotmail.com
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