When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008, Daria Smith was so young that she couldn’t remember much about it.
“All I knew was that it was a big thing, and I knew that I had never seen a Black man as president,” Smith said.
“I knew that. And I knew that my parents were able to vote for him – and my grandparents were able to see history being made.”
Although she was still not yet old enough to vote, him being elected for a second term was a life changing event for Smith. By 2012, she was in high school and had a much better understanding of the racial complexities in the nation – and within the government. Her knowledge helped her truly grasp the magnitude of what Obama’s election and reelection symbolized.
“That energy helped me transform and focus more on the notion that there is an importance in voting – there is an importance in democracy,” Smith said. “I feel like I can relate to a lot of people who say, ‘He’s my first president. He’s my only president.’ He’s made a difference in my life, whether I was able to vote for him or not.”
Two years after Obama secured a second term in The White House, Smith was awarded a scholarship through the St. Louis American Foundation. The award provided financial support for the Metro Academic and Classical High School graduate as she pursued and obtained a degree in Digital Media and Design from the University of Kentucky. A decade later – as the St. Louis American Foundation readies for its 35th Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala this Saturday – she is making a difference in the lives of others through her work at the Obama Foundation.
“But being in that proximity around people who have been around him is so amazing,” Smith said. “And everyday I’m still like, ‘Oh my God, I’m working for the Obamas. This is crazy.’”
Smith, who recently earned a Master of Arts degree in Museology/Museum Studies from John Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs, currently serves as exhibitions analyst for the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center.
Even though she’s been a part of the Obama Foundation for more than a year – and has already been promoted from her initial role as Exhibition Assistant – Smith still gets giddy about the life-affirming moment she accepted the job.
“I called my mom and was like, ‘I’m gonna be working for the Obamas!” Smith said. “Just imagine [working for] someone who is making history – has made history – and is still alive, a contemporary history maker. Someone who is still active in all the things that they are passionate about – whether it is art, community, or service – and having them basically be my boss.”
Her duties include logistical and administrative work across the different museum department teams. “Moving into this role, I really wanted to learn more about the museum as a whole and how the departments – such as collections and curatorial and exhibitions – really work together,” Smith said.
She hasn’t met President Obama in person yet, though they have been on a few video calls together.
“But being in that proximity around people who have been around him is so amazing,” Smith said. “And everyday I’m still like, ‘Oh my God, I’m working for the Obamas. This is crazy.’”
A place for change and changemakers
Smith hopes that when the center opens – which is projected to be in 2025 – it will impact visitors in the same way that working to bring the center to life has inspired her.
“It is going to be different from every other presidential library that you have. One, because we are calling it a center,” Smith said. “It’s not just a library. It’s a center for creating change and having discourse about how to make the world a little better.”
Within the center there will be a museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library –instead of just a Presidential Library – as well as a forum building.
“We also have a number of other amenities that are literally for the residents of the Southside of Chicago,” Smith said. “It is really going to change the whole community that’s there. And that is something that is really beautiful. It’s going to be amazing, honestly.”
As she talked about the change that she’s expecting the Obama Center to have on its surrounding community, Smith also discussed how being a St. Louis American Foundation scholarship recipient changed her life.
“It impacted me greatly,” Smith said. “I was given the recognition and acknowledgement that I am doing well, and that people trust and believe in me to continue doing good. Financially it was extremely helpful. It allowed a cushion – a pillow – for me to rest a little bit and get my bearings and know that I have support. It really invigorates you to want to continue your education and be good at what you pursue.”
Smith feels that the awardees – who have received millions in scholarship funding over the past 35 years – dispel certain misconceptions about St. Louis area students and their potential.
“St. Louis school districts have the kids and the talent to be able to have changemakers in the world and I am one of them,” Smith said. “I am working with a former president who is amazing and believes in the same things I believe in. There is magic in that – in seeing yourself reflected in a lot of other people. I hope that one day – I may not be president – but I get to a place where people are like, ‘wow, she is from St. Louis, she went to a St. Louis public school, she is a St. Louis American Foundation scholar and she worked to get to where she is. And she has a lot of the resources that I can have.”
She offered sound advice to this year’s cohort of scholarship recipients.
“Go after your heart. Always remember where you come from. Always remember who supported you. That will take you a lot of places,” Smith said. “Really harness on believing in yourself. Because it has already been proven that somebody else believes in you through being selected as a scholar. Trust your gut and go for your dreams.”
The 35th Annual St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala will take place at 6 p.m. (with an opening reception at 5 p.m.) on Saturday, October 1 at America’s Center. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.
