By Kelly Morgan (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Sarah Smith The Whtestone / Cochise Lucas

She’s the third one in the last four years – and she plans to stay.

Sarah Smith, 25, from Liberty, Mo., near Kansas City, is Wesley College’s new director of student activities.

Her favorite part about her job is working closely with students.

“Student interaction is what keeps me in this field,” Smith said. “I love it when students stop by [my office] and say hi.”

Smith is responsible for planning homecoming, family day, orientation, advising the student activities board, working with student organizations and the Student Government Association (SGA).

Shannon Reed, graduate assistant for registered student organizations, works with Smith and thinks she is a great fit for Wesley.

“She always has her positive pants on,” Reed said. “Right now, she is helping me edit and develop the student handbook for student organizations and planning the homecoming parade.”

Kiana Long, a sophomore international business major, works as an assistant inside the Student Life Office. She sees Smith’s positive side everyday.

“[Smith] is one of the reasons why I look forward to going to work,” Long said. “Everyday, she comes to work with a smile on her face. She always looks at the positive side of things. There is never a dull moment with Sarah.”

Smith received her Bachelors in Marketing and Management from Northwest Missouri State University in 2007.

“I learned a lot about advising student organizations,” Smith said. “When you’re in grad school, you learn student development. It’s exciting to see your academic studies implemented in real life.”

In 2009, Smith earned her Masters of Science (MS) in higher education leadership from her alma mater.

One of Smith’s most memorable projects was hosting three well-known country acts, Dierks Bently, Luke Bryan and Bucky Covington.

“We hosted an outside concert for about 5,000 people,” she said. “It was pretty awesome. Bucky was on American Idol.”

Before arriving at Wesley, Smith was a professional staff member at Wingate University in North Carolina – a small private residential college – from June 2009 to May 2010.

Smith liked the university’s idea of living on campus.

“Student Life thought [the students] should live on campus all four years for developmental reasons,” she said.

Smith enjoyed orientation and the orientation leaders when she started at Wesley in August.

“It was like an instant welcoming committee,” she said. “Orientation sessions are there to set up a student for success. Those sessions are planned to acclimate thosestudents and parents.”

Long thinks Smith’s involvement with orientation was a success.

“I worked all of the summer orientations, as well as, freshman continuing orientation,” Kiana Long said. “I thought orientation went very well. Sarah’s interaction with everyone – faculty, staff, students and parents – was phenomenal.”