Through open doors

PALMER — It isn’t every day a student from the Mat-Su Valley is accepted into an Ivy League school, so amid the many stories of the class of 2018, 17-year-old, Leah Smith’s acceptance into Princeton has stirred a lot of excitement. For her part, Smith kept herself pretty busy, especially in the past year, but that’s the way she likes it.

“If I fill up my time with dance, or piano or teaching piano, or something, it leaves me motivated and focused to get my homework done,” Smith said.

This may not sound like the words of a senior surrounded by peers in the throes of “senioritis,” but with a 4.16 grade point average (GPA), Smith isn’t your typical senior. She’s played piano and been a ballet dancer for many years. Music is in her core, something she’s learned is even more valuable if shared. She currently teaches about 10 students piano lessons.

“We have a lot of talent in the Valley — for a place that isn’t super-rich or super-populated, we have a lot of raw talent and a lot of hard workers,” Smith said.

Smith said that when she looks at her peers she often sees their full potential, which can be a double-edged sword. She’s seen some of her peers “closing off opportunities,” which can be disheartening at times. It’s common for teenagers to lose sight of the future when they are caught up with the social side of high school or the challenges faced at home.

“I think high school seniors — and just high schoolers in general — place their validity in other people,” Smith said.

She’s learned that kids that are grow up to do great things have to find validity in themselves, what they “believe in and aspire to do,” a guiding light to get them through the here and now and onward. She said that while the Mat-Su Valley is filled with talent and promise, it is also occupied by some people who have “given up.”

“I think something in the Valley that kids really struggle with is closing their own doors,” Smith said. “I want them to know that they don’t have to.”

She’s witnessed some of her peers break past and through their sets of circumstances. She thinks that’s a great example being set, not only for their family members, but for all those around them with similar lifestyles.

Smith is fascinated by how the brain works. One of her interests is how the brain can wire itself for addiction, overriding the natural reward system, pushing people to do and say things that really isn’t in their best interests.

“Happiness doesn’t have to be self-inflicted pain,” Smith said. “Our community keeps on flourishing — I mean the band is going to Paris.”

The Colony High School marching band has been formally invited to perform in Normandy, France, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019. Smith is very active with the musical department at Colony High School. She can be found most days after school playing piano in the music room. She went with the marching band to New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Before they left, she found out she didn’t obtain the Coca-Cola Scholarship. She made it as a semi-finalist and said that just applying for the scholarship turned out to be advantageous. She said that helped her get the ball rolling with her college applications even earlier than she anticipated. In the end, she said, it helped her get through the application process for Princeton. She signed a contract for the “Early Action” program and is set to head out to New Jersey in August.

“So I guess I’m locked into place,” Smith laughed.

Smith isn’t entirely sure what she will major in. She is leaning towards neuroscience and biology. She could wind up doing pre-medical. She isn’t hung up on a major since she figures through her time getting molded by her college experiences, she will end up where she needs to go. One of the selling points to Smith is Princeton’s reputation for diversity. She is looking forward to the “mesh of culture,” especially the international cooking club.

She hasn’t always been such a stellar student, or a “sharp pencil,” as she puts it. She apparently made the shift to book smarts after she and her parents moved to Alaska from New York City. She was inspired about a teacher’s quote about surrounding yourself with people you want to grow alongside, “sharper pencils,” to model after. So in third grade, she started hitting the books. She said her time is better spent with others and that’s why most of her career ideas involve people. With graduation around the corner and life beckoning, Smith plans to spend a lot of time with her friends, going on road trips and “enjoying the moment,” the final days of her high school career.

For now, Smith said, she’s content.

“I want to be the kind of person that starts a foundation or starts a way out for kids to not close doors on themselves — that’s kind of a long-term goal. I think I can find happiness wherever I am in life,” Smith said.