allison grady, smith college class of 2003, originally from connecticut, proud graduate of a rigorous private high school, and recent graduate of an ivy league professional school. i was accepted into the bridge program, and on my first day at smith a parent told me that they didn’t think that my being half-puerto rican “counted” as being a minority. i spent the next 4 years being sure that i counted. double major in religion and government. PSE, kahn scholar, CSE, and chosen for the picker program. i was an extremely grateful MTV networks intern and at each of my job interviews since graduation, each person commented positively on my being a smithie. smith was probably the hardest 4 years of my life—socially, academically, and personally. but i made life-long friends and learned more about myself and the world than i could have ever dreamed. i learned how to write and how to think. i am filled with pride as i read about my fellow smithies. the academic and social values that i’ve learned at smith will be demonstrated through the work i do in pediatric oncology everyday and that’s more important to me than my name on some building.
