The following series of facts sets the tone for my entire existence: my last name is Smiley, my Dad is a dentist, my sister went to Colgate University, and my childhood dog was named Flossie.

That being said, taking my self seriously was never really an option. I’m 21 years old, I play with plastic dinosaur figurines, I read comic books, I love spelunking, I have every intention on joining a Big Foot expedition at some point, and as I write this bio, I’m drinking orange juice of out a Little Mermaid sippy cup- complete with crazy straw. So, I’m a little silly, but the things I would like to accomplish in this world certainly are not. I am a passionate advocate of social justice, particularly as it concerns access to adequate healthcare, both here and abroad. I consider it my goal in life to learn how to accomplish serious things without ever taking myself too seriously. I refuse to allow the daunting task of creating sustainable change make me any less of a silly-heart.

I’m still not sure how to translate my social justice agenda to a career. When I came to Northwestern, I was 95% sure that I was going to be an opera singer… now, well, I’m 87% sure that I have no idea. That remaining 13% thinks I’d like to be an anthropologist and use ethnographic research to develop more culturally competent health care in resource-scare areas; so I’m giving that a try this summer.