David Smith

In public high schools across the nation, students have counselors and advisors guiding them through high school, preparing them for the real world. Many students do not fully realize they graduate in less than four years and, now looking back, time has flown by. The job of an advisor or a counselor is to prepare these students for life and either the workforce, post-secondary education, or the military. Many advisors and counselors use their job as a stepping stone to career advancement. This results in dull attitudes towards helping students because it all becomes routine. But one man, David Smith, stood out from the rest as a counselor. It was his dedication not to his job, but to his students. As a student of Mr. Smith’s I experienced first-hand, his dedication and devotion to his students and this makes him a role model for me as I traverse through life at the Coast Guard Academy.

Many high school students have immense potential but fail to exert this because of a lack of guidance from their family and/or counselor. Though in his 70s, Mr. Smith still directed many students through high school even though he could easily retire. David Smith fought in the Cold War, stationed in Germany. Mr. Smith experienced a lot through his few short years in the Army in Germany and because of such, David Smith was a reliable source to seek out. After the war, he graduated from a local college and eventually found work as a guidance counselor in good ole Red Lion High in southern Pennsylvania. Over the years, David tried to recruit young students to join the military because of its benefits and experiences. Because of his efforts, David has received many recognitions and awards.

Every time I went into his office, his scattered prestigious awards made it hard to find a place to sit and sometimes write. Nevertheless, he would do whatever it would take to help me or any other student needing help. His dedication to his job is what got me into the academy. When I first met Mr. Smith, I was a freshman with little idea of what I wanted to do after high school. At the time, four years seemed like a really long time and worrying about graduation was one of the last thoughts on my mind at the time. I just wanted to know how to find my classes. In that first meeting we had in his office, he asked me what I wanted to pursue after graduation. A military buff at the time, I told him I wanted to become a military officer. I will never forget his reaction. His eyes widened, he sat up straighter and was clearly more attentive because of excitement. I could feel he really wanted to see me go to a military academy. Right then, he pulled out a four-year plan for me to follow in order to receive an appointment to one of the academies. Every following year, he would continue to guide me about taking the right courses and giving me all the inside information to how to get into the academy. Through the first years of high school, Mr. Smith directed me towards the right path but he greater exemplified his dedication and devotion to me during my junior year of high school.

The academy application requires a congressional nomination. In order to receive a nomination, I had to first apply for an interview that would decide if I deserved a nomination or not. The application required a profile of my school records along with a personal essay. Mr. Smith consistently continued to make sure everything got done early so he could proofread and beef up my application. I would do exactly as he said because he had gotten several students into one of the Military academies. Many times, after I had left a paper in his mailbox so he could review it, he would always personally walk it and hand it to me. Mr. Smith would ask me how about the progress of the application process. We would talk for a little before I had to run off to class. That is just an example of Mr. Smith exercising his devotion and dedication to his job.

Eventually the responses came in and the US Coast Guard Academy, NROTC accepted me and the Naval Academy wait-listed me. At the time, I wanted to go to the Naval Academy but the wait list hindered my decision. It was just a matter of weeks before Reporting In-Day and I had yet to decide which Academy I was going to. But every few days, Mr. Smith would ask for any updates. Finally, near the end of May, I received a letter from the Naval Academy saying they did not have room for me. Disappointed but also relieved, I went to school the next day and I made my way to his office to inform him. I entered the office and saw his room’s lights turned off. I asked the secretary the whereabouts of Mr. Smith and before the secretary could answer, another guidance counselor confronted me and took me into her office. There in the office, I learned that David Smith had passed away the night before in his sleep. I stood there in shock because I had only seen him a few days ago and he seemed to be in perfect health. His memories will always embrace me as I continue at the Coast Guard Academy.

Mr. Smith’s dedication and devotion to his students, myself as an example, is in concurrence with the Coast Guard’s core values of respect and devotion to duty. Mr. Smith is my personal role model as I traverse through the academy. I look up to such a man resisting retirement because he loved his job so much. Just like how David Smith was dedicated and devoted to his students and job, I want to exercise the same level of dedication and devotion to and in the Coast Guard.