Best Of: A Rock Star Grad

My “Best Of” series will be interviews with some of my favorite people. Since you are reading my blog, you are probably one of my favorite people, so just e-mail me if you are interested in being interviewed.

Kaitlin M. Smith

Today I interviewed one of my best friends, Kaitlin M. Smith, a public relations student who is working and living in Columbus, Ohio and will graduate from Otterbein College with a degree in organizational communications with minors in public relations and art in June.

Kaitlin is incredibly modest and would never tell you quite how great she is, so I will. She is smart, funny and even a little sassy once you get to know her! She is one of the most observant people I know and very thorough in all she does. She likes to work behind the scenes and is currently working hard to help plan OC Partners Conference.  She has a big heart, enjoys doing things for others and loves people for who they are without judgment. Here are some of her thoughts about her world…

What is an experience or situation that taught you something about you as a person? What did you discover or learn?

My first internship experience at Big Brothers Big Sisters. I was given the chance to work independently and that gave me the opportunity to learn who I was as an individual because I was used to always playing the role of a big sister, girlfriend, friend, student or daughter and this was the first time I thought about what I wanted as a person. It was just all me, working with good people I had never met before and enjoying using the skills I learned while working for a good cause. They provided me with the opportunity to achieve a lot and accomplish a lot. I was going through a break-up at the time and it was hard, but my experience gave me the confidence to stand up for myself and do what was best for me.

What is one challenge you are facing as a Gen Y student about to graduate? How do you plan to overcome it?

I guess I’m still trying to figure out my purpose in life. I have an idea of what I want to do with my degree, but I am still unsure where life will take me outside the comfort of college. I’m pretty independent, but losing the comfort of Otterbein will be a bit of a challenge.

Gen Y has a lot of choices and it is hard to figure out whether I should stay versatile or focus on one specialization. I overcome challenges with the support of my friends, family and mentors, but I try to take things day by day.

What are you passionate about? What sparked that passion and how do you live to help grow your passion?

Nonprofit work is my passion, as far as my career goes, but I also love sports! I have felt fulfilled by the nonprofit work I have done with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, kids and community leadership. I try to stay aware of nonprofit causes and would like to do more volunteer work. I’m also passionate about and appreciate creativity.

“Appreciative Inquiry,” is something I’m becoming passionate about that I’m learning in class. It’s focusing on the positive in what you do and focusing on your strengths rather than on the problem.  I have been trying to focus on the positive more in all situations of my life.

If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be and why?

I would love to be a sports community relations professional. It doesn’t matter who or for what team, but that would encourage both my passion for sports and nonprofits and working with the community. I played lots of sports in high school and that would probably be my dream job. I like how sports can bond a community.