TOLANI SMITH

Community

Community Involvement

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
- Winston Churchill

Girls Like Me, Inc.

Girls Like Me is a community-based organization devoted to the development of confidence, skill sets, and character of minority girls. We promote positive and engaging academic environments that inspire minority girls' interest and exposure to STEM.

I was responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with local middle and elementary schools, creating lessons and slide decks for presentations at events, and supervised slide decks submitted by fellow trailblazers. I co-created the first "Innovation Day" which featured a college/career fair in partnership with another STEM outreach organization.

Tolani holding a cup of oil with 3 elemtary schools girls with spoons separating the oil from a large tub of water

Students simulated an oil spill using colored water and oil. They learned about skimming (pictured), absorbtion, and booms.

4 girls, including Tolani, wearing Girls Like Me shirts, showing off thier gingerbread house

Gingerbread home building competition. The Girls Like Me Trailblazers competed along side middle school girls.

6 girls standing preparing to throw paper airplanes in the air

We taught the fundamentals of flight (drag, thrust, gravity, and lift) and then elementary students designed their own paper airplanes.

The Alpha Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

I am a Spring '21 initiate into the Alpha Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. I have served a plethora of leadership roles:
Miss Crimson (2021-2022)
Hospitality Committee Chair (2021-2022)
Technology Chair (2022-2023)
Graphic Designer (2022-2023)

As the Chapter Graphic Designer, I am responsible for creating the flyers for all programs and services. Here are just a few flyers I created.

4 people in a dorm room sorting various hygiene donations into large boxes

As Miss Crimson, I am in charge of community service. Pictured is the royal court (Misses and Misters) sorting through over 800 collected hygiene products that would be donated to several women's and family shelters in Greensboro, NC.

Royal Court led a Breast Cancer Drive collecting warm blankets, scarves, gloves. We collected over 600 items to be donated to local hospitals in Greensboro, NC

Global Engineering Leadership Program (GELP)

I was 1 of 18 students selected to go to Italy for 10 days (May 2023) to tour several large Engineering companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing. I engaged with students at the University of Naples Engineering Grad program. This trip included a semester-long course that covered global engagement, topics from Lean Six Sigma, and other general engineering fundamentals.

This is one of the largest churches in the world - Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It was so incredibly beautiful! The ceilings in this church were stunning.

Me and the rest of the GELPers touring the ruins of Pompeii! It was amazing to see how much the city has maintained its structure over time!

This is me at the top of Mt. Vesuvius - the still active volcano that destroyed Pompeii!! It's expected to erupt in the next 200 years!