Person

Annalisa Smith

University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte)

Pronouns

She/Her

Hometown

New Orleans, LA

Major

English

Expected Graduation Date

May 2024

Your go-to fun fact

My grandpa is the late writer Ernest J Gaines.

Your “feel good” album

Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne

If you had to be any type of bird, what type of bird would you be?

Penguin

What motivates you to be a changemaker in your community?

Living as a Black woman and having a front row seat to the way systemic failures have depleted my community and other marginalized communities motivates me to be a changemaker. The liberation I wish for myself is the liberation I hope to one day see in all communities.

My Capstone:

My capstone project will be called L.E.A.D and it will consist of leadership development and mentorship for kids that have been impacted by the juvenile justice system. L.E.A.D. stands for Leadership, Engagement, Activism, and Direction. The programming will serve to take children who have had run-ins with the criminal justice system and guide them in a better direction using leadership development coursework, community engagement, and service work.