Photo submitted by Brianna Smith
Brianna Smith, a second-year Political Science major, on the path to become a Second Lieutenant.
By Conor Walters
Staff Writer
Brianna Smith is a second-year political science major, with her sights set on a military career. She grew up in Mannheim, Germany, but at the age of 12 moved to America because her father is in the military and had orders to come back to the U.S. One of the main reasons Smith chose to attend Penn State was to attend the same college as her fiancé.
With big plans for her life after college, Smith looks forward to becoming a Second lieutenant in civil affairs for the United States Army. She hopes to spread awareness about cultural and comparative politics and build stronger relationships between military and civilian populations.
To further her knowledge in her career path, Smith helps run an Army ROTC Tactics club, a student organization that provides additional opportunities for cadets to learn about tactics, strategy, and leadership.
“We tend to do a lot of field training exercises, along with training simulation which helps us cadets develop a deeper understanding of military operations and leadership skills,” said Smith.
Smith has accomplished a great deal so far for what she wants to do later in life.
“Some of my greatest accomplishments were my internships in West Africa working for the Unite State Embassy as a Regional Fisheries Management Organizations for the United States Agency for International Development, and joining the Army National Guard SMP program,” said Smith.
Smith was able to obtain these internships through a college program called Pickering foreign affairs Fellowship. After applying, she had to go through three interviews on Zoom and about two months later she had got the job. Smith states that her role model is Colin Powell.
“He served in a variety of leadership roles during his military career, such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of State, but what I look up to most is how he motivates and inspires troops and I want to be able to inspire my platoon and any soldier just like that,” said Smith.
Ultimately, Smith believes that having U.S. knowledge can help her understand the cultural norms and customs in different areas of the world. Pursuing a career in Civil Affairs in the Army she can focus on, “conflict and post conflicts, maintaining and building relationships between military and civilian populations, understanding government systems, cultural awareness, communication skills in conflict, and resolution abilities,” said Smith.
Azizah Frazier, a second-year Bio-behavioral health major, and one of Smith’s close friends said, “I met Bri freshman year when we assigned a room together, after the first two weeks of school we basically became best friends. I would describe Bri as a fun outgoing person, who loves to excel in everything she does.”
One of Smith’s favorite mottos she lives by is “service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” a quote from Muhammad Ali. After college Smith plans to enlist as a active duty second lieutenant in civil affairs.