Patrick Smith is Howling for NC State
His job title is almost too long to share, but the short answer is that he gets to oversee and generate content for social media related to academics and student affairs at North Carolina State. When we caught up with him this summer, he was still new in his job and had been forced into new “Covid rules” for doing his work and interacting with outstanding students he was profiling for a series called “Howling Success.” (He says NC State has no shortage of Wolf puns.)
As a student he took advantage of all opportunities to hone his skills – WEHC, Whitetopper, graphic design classes – and a raft of career experiences that has proven to be a great investment of time. Among several jobs he held before hitting the campus of NC State was a stint as the editor in chief of The Declaration of Independence, the newspaper of Independence, Virginia. At the ripe age of 22 he found himself reporting, designing, making political connections, building relationships in the community, and producing the town’s only newspaper.
He moved into higher education through the doors of Randolph College. He left Independence to be the editor of the Salem Times Register and the New Castle Record newspapers for year, but longed for a larger town. He landed in Lynchburg to do writing and social media for the marketing office at Randolph. It was a great step before taking the job at a major university.
He says it may sound cheesy, but he gives Emory & Henry credit for challenging him out of his shell. He remembers that he couldn’t hide in the back of the class: he had to talk, he had to interact, and he had to make oral reports – all things uncomfortable for a quiet, unassuming guy. But all those experiences are serving him well now – as he is a leader of the Pack.
Patrick Smith, Emory & Henry Class of 2012.
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