My Path to the Elderly: Rachel Sanchez-Smith

Rachel Sanchez-Smith dreamed of being a reporter ever since she was studying journalism at Rogers High School.

“I was the odd kid in the paper,” she said. “And I wore that title with pride!”

The daughter of a Peruvian immigrant, Sanchez-Smith has always been interested in human rights and politics. She participated in the University of Arkansas’ Lemke Journalism Project, an annual newspaper program for high school students in Northwest Arkansas interested in writing about diversity issues, but she didn’t think becoming a reporter was something she could do after high school.

However, when she got her first freelance job at 18, she realized she could get paid to do what she loved. She thought, “That’s it! I found it! This is what I have to do.

This freelance job – translating interviews from Spanish-speaking poultry farmers for the non-profit magazine South exposure – led her to take a data journalism course at the U of A.

The class, taught by former professor Rob Wells, filled out a survey about who was most affected by COVID-19 and found that poultry farmers — the same ones Sanchez-Smith interviewed — were that population.

“We both had that aha moment; that was the thing to focus on.”

She joined a reporting team with Howard News Service and the University of Maryland to report on the plight of immigrant food workers during COVID-19. Their outstanding work led to her dream of being published by the AP—and to national recognition, winning the Society of Professional Journalism’s National Award of Excellence for Collaborative Reporting.

She credits the Lemke Project with making that happen.

“Opportunities like this would never have opened up to me without the professors I met at the Lemke Project,” says Sanchez-Smith.

After graduating high school, Sanchez-Smith wanted to attend an out-of-state university, but her former mentors at the Lemke Project convinced her otherwise.

She says professors Gina Shelton, advanced journalism instructor; Brett Schulte, associate professor of journalism; and now-retired professor Gerald Jordan assured her that while she could go to another journalism school, no other school would support her as much as the faculty at the U of A’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

“They really set it in cement,” she says. “No one would treat you like we do here.”

Ultimately, she says, “I knew I had to be at the University of Arkansas.”

Now double majoring in news editorial journalism and political science, Sanchez-Smith also works as a reporter and producer for KUAF.

She also volunteers with the Lemke Journalism Project to help high school students “make those same vital connections that allowed me to make my college career feasible and an extraordinary experience.”

From academic advising to job applications to personal advice, she says, U of A professors have been instrumental in her professional and personal success over the past two years.

“I wouldn’t be here without the help of the faculty,” she says. “Not only were they vital to my college journey, but they are people I hope to hold onto for the rest of my life.”

For more student success stories like Rachel’s, check out our other #MyPathToSeniorWalk features on social media: Eric Soto, Kennedy Hicks. There are many more stories to come this year. If you have a story you’d like to tell, or know someone who has an inspiring story, please see the nomination form.