Scholar Spotlight: Cady Smith

Cady (L) at the 2013 Scholarship Dinner

"I will never forget when I walked into the GSBA Scholarship dinner for the first time. I remember being so utterly overwhelmed by the amount of support I faced, after thinking for years that I was alone. I cried. My parents cried. The individuals that interviewed me cried. I couldn't believe that I had made it this far, that I had finally found a community where I was fully accepted. As a second year scholar, the dinner affected me just as strongly. I remember one of the speakers saying (with regards to being part of the queer community), 'You don't need to be fixed. There is nothing to fix.' 

"GSBA has showed me that this statement is true at every turn. I now know that my future matters. Every day that I assume my various leadership roles I strive to be a representative of the love and acceptance that GSBA has shown me. Even though some of my past is painful, I didn't go through it needlessly. This organization has taught me the power that my personal story has. This experience has built me into a person with a passion for leading and helping others. If I can help even one person realize that there's an entire community waiting out there with open arms, like the GSBA has, then everything I've been through has been worth it."

Cady (R) after completing the Color Run

As usual, Cady is keeping herself very busy in the South Sound area. She is currently a Rieke Leadership Fellow for Pacific Lutheran University's Diversity Center. She is working to reestablish the campus' Queer Ally Network and safe space program. She is a graphic designer at IMPACT, the graphic design office at PLU and she also works as a Marketing and Development Associate at Centerforce, a nonprofit in Lakewook devoted to empowering adults with disabilities. As part of the University Students Museum Advisory Committee at the Tacoma Museum of Glass, Cady helps to strengthen communication and interaction between the Museum, university students and faculty throughout the Puget Sound area.