Guineviere Vanhorne AC ’18
I grew up in Jamaica and graduated from high school in 2004. I planned to go to college at some point, but it’s expensive in Jamaica. I took a position as an entertainment coordinator at a vacation resort, where I planned all sorts of activities, from cabaret shows to beach volleyball tournaments. In 2006, I moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts, and took classes at Greenfield Community College while raising my two daughters, now ages 6 and 8.
In 2011, I attended an open house for Ada Comstock Scholars. The panelists were so intelligent, so empowering, and so giving of themselves and their praise for the college—at that point I decided I couldn’t go anywhere else.
“I want to touch people’s lives and help them become their best selves. My studies here are preparing me for that.”
My daughters and I now live in Conway House, for Ada Comstock Scholars and their families. Conway House is an important aspect of student life for the families who reside there. Having a supportive community helps alleviate the struggles of being student families. Given that each family has child care needs, the community at Conway can be close-knit, with families sharing resources.
Both my daughters go to the Smith Campus School. I absolutely love that place. Its approach to education fits right in with my own ideals of how children learn and grow. My daughters have plenty of friends, and they love their teachers.
As a student, coming to Smith was intimidating, but there is a wide variety of academic support. At the Spinelli Center for Quantitative Learning I found tutors who have helped me with my science and math courses. I am also registered as having a learning disorder and have been able to receive accommodations that have really made a difference.
Smith also made it affordable for me to come here by giving me a comprehensive financial aid package.
My goal is to become a physician's assistant and provide services and advocacy for people in need. I also hope to be able to open doors for women of color who want to excel. I want to touch people’s lives and help them become their best selves. My studies here are preparing me for that. I feel by being at Smith, I am able to become the woman I envision I can be.
