Meet Chris Smith ’26 A SHECP internship solidified Smith’s career path to become an advocate for those in need.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
March 11, 2025

Chris Smith ’26
Major/minor: Philosophy major; poverty and human capability studies minor
Hometown: Fayetteville, West Virginia

Have you discovered a course or topic that you didn’t expect to study when you first came to W&L?
When I came to W&L, I never thought I would have been a poverty studies minor. Growing up in West Virginia, I was exposed to the throes of poverty affecting many around me, and I wanted my college career to be devoid of what I thought of as negativity. However, after taking POV 101 with visiting assistant professor of philosophy Brandon Conley, I realized that this apathetic attitude would benefit no one. After taking POV 101, I started to take more poverty studies courses and became enthralled in educating myself more about the wide ranges of effects that poverty has on people, which has formed a new life path for me in public service.

Where is your “home” on campus?
I feel most at home on campus wherever my friends are. Whether it’s an event at the Mattingly House, a class in Washington Hall or lounging around in Third-Year, I find that the people here make me feel at home. It does not matter where I am on campus; what matters is the connections I’ve made with people and the care I have for them that makes me feel at home.

What has been your most impactful experience at W&L, either on or off-campus?
My most impactful experience at W&L was my SHECP (Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty) internship at the Roanoke City Public Defender’s Office. The Shepherd Program gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion in the legal field, as well as make meaningful connections and contributions to those needing their services. Having the opportunity to work with impoverished people in situations where they needed help the most made me more compassionate and outspoken on the issues that affect everyone who lives in poverty, and it solidified my path through college to become an advocate for those without voices.

Have you found a mentor on campus? Who is it, and how have they helped you develop as a student?
Although I consider every professor I’ve had to be a mentor, professor Jeffrey Kosky in the Religion Department has helped me immensely in figuring out what I want to do, as well as what I need to do. I started out in his Secularity, Disenchantment and Religion course as a freshman struggling to adapt to life at W&L. Professor Kosky, however, saw potential in me and later became my academic adviser. His advice and guidance led me to take his Religion and Existentialism class and gave me more of a passion for academics than I would have had without him. We still communicate frequently although I am not a student in his department, and I am grateful for the support and encouragement he has offered me throughout my time here.

What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class at W&L was Philosophy of Language taught by professor of philosophy Nathaniel Goldberg. This course exposed me to a new area of philosophy I had never considered before and taught me to question every word or phrase someone speaks. I came out of this class with a new passion for language and an inquisitive nature about how we convey what we mean through language. The small class size made it so that discourse dominated the course, exposing me to new ideas and perspectives about how language can be used to further cultural norms, refer to things and determine truth.