From Mexia, Texas, home of the Blackcats, senior Communications with a concentration in Journalism and Broadcasting, Blake Nicole Smith has a true passion for writing, creative social media and for speaking up for others. Smith ended up at Tarleton based on her experiences here when she served her time on her Dairy Judging Team. She visited campus during a competition and fell in love. 

”I was in FFA in high school and I was on the Dairy Judging team. My team made it to state and the state contest was here and I fell in love immediately,” Smith said.

Smith is the Editor-in-Chief of the JTAC Newspaper. She leads the team with grace and she serves as the creative editor for the team. Her role is to create the layouts, manage photo assignments and manage the team of editors, writers and photographers. Outside of the JTAC, she is also an athletic tutor and helps students with primarily speech and english courses.

In terms of her future, Smith has big plans ahead and wants to use her experience working for the JTAC to her advantage. 

“I want to be a social media manager for small businesses. I also want to be a part time lifestyle blogger. I just recently started my journey as a freelance social media manager and am hoping to continue working freelance,” Smith said.

Smith, being the Editor-in-Chief, knew she wanted to make a difference while serving her time, and this special edition paper was what the JTAC needed to put it over the top. 

“Usually, the black community is talked about and viewed in a negative light. A spotlight on black excellence is a way to shed light on the positivity that radiates throughout the community. I cannot wait for people to read this paper because it can be challenging to be a black student at a PWI (primarily white institute) for an assortment of reasons. This paper is special in a number of ways. I want to highlight the incredible black figures on the Stephenville campus that may not get as much recognition as they deserve,“ Smith said. 

Smith has expressed that she plans to remain on the JTAC team until she graduates in 2023.