Jamie Smith aims to begin long, successful career at URI
Smith represented Rhody last year at the NCAA Student Coaches Conference
After her fifth and final season in 2021, Jamie Smith bid farewell to her days as a student-athlete following her graduate season with the University of Rhode Island Volleyball team. However, her final season as a player was just the beginning of her career in college athletics.
Now as a graduate assistant, the volleyball alum gives the team a boost from the sidelines while working towards finishing the final year of her master’s in business administration.Smith said her goal as a graduate assistant is to help pave the way for change for future players.
“I just became really passionate about being a voice for student-athletes and being a liaison between them and administration,” she said. “There’s a lot [of] changes that I think need to be implemented at the college level and [in] the NCAA, so I just want to be a part of that change.”
In addition to her playing career, Smith saw the behind-the-scenes of how collegiate athletics operate in her four years at Iona University, where she served as Vice President and then President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where she was involved with launching the school’s first Inclusion and Diversity Committee. She later interned with URI athletics in 2021, helping with the operation of the department and managing alumni events.
During that time, Smith noticed a need for increased inclusion at the collegiate level, especially when it comes to leadership roles for women in sports.
“Just being a voice of reason for student-athletes,” she said about what she looks to accomplish. “Making sure that we’re putting our best foot forward for them, I think there’s just more room for growth in that area.”
Having played with a number of current Rams last year, Smith has a unique perspective in her new role with the team. Now in her second year with the program, she’s able to serve the role of a “player’s coach” thanks to her ability to relate to student-athletes on the team and the connections she built last year, according to URI Head Coach Angel Agu.
“In that role alone, she brought a lot of leadership,” Agu said of Smith’s time playing for the Rams. “It was easy for her to connect with the team, although she was new.”
For Smith, having the opportunity to join the program last season with her extra year of eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic was one highlight in her career.
“It was definitely a blessing for me to be able to end my career on a high note,” she said. “All the people I’ve met here have been super welcoming and super accepting of me.”
In her new role, Smith coordinates the team’s travel for away matches and acts as a general resource for the players, keeping them on track academically while also providing advice and guidance.
Although Agu said Smith now has a lot on her plate as a part of the staff, she believes that her maturity and work ethic will get her far in her new career.
“She’s also always willing to learn,” Agu said. “She’s always asking questions, which is why her future’s going to be super bright.”
Looking ahead, Smith looks to eventually work her way up the ladder and become an athletic director later on down the road. While she does not know where that road will take her yet, Smith believes she will be ready when the right opportunity presents itself.
“I’m definitely open to going pretty much anywhere to work in college athletics,” Smith said. “For me, it’s going to be about what opportunities open up, and I’ll assess later down the line which one works best for me and for my future.”