Lamar Smith

Lamar Smith is someone you’d describe as creative. He’s a guitarist, a writer and a visual artist. So, when it came time to select a university, Smith found a sweet spot at Western Connecticut State University. Originally interested in being a music major, Smith came in as a freshman and while taking his general education courses, discovered his passion for an entirely different art form — writing.

“I had a class with Louisa Burns Bisogno — it was a cool script-writing class,” Smith said. “And that class helped me decide to follow a Creative Writing track.”

That is not to say that Smith gave up his passion for guitar. In fact, many of his friends on campus were music students. But his newfound love for writing took precedence for a while.

“College is an important place to help you grow,” Smith said. “To be able to live away from home without the finality of moving out. And WestConn provided a nice environment for that; for me to find myself. There were lots of events sponsored by student organizations like the Black Student Union Fashion Show and social mixers, performances by Wiz Khalifa and Kevin Hart, and the amazing performances by the Theatre Department. It’s a beautiful facility and every show I saw there was breathtaking,” Smith said. “I also enjoyed the trails at the Westside Nature Preserve.”

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative and Professional Writing in 2017. After commencement, he worked as a substitute teacher because it allowed him time to return to his love of music — including accompanying his grandfather, a fellow musician, to the Netherlands and Spain, where he was performing. He also went on to pursue an online graduate degree in animation. “I’m interested in a lot of art forms and creative outlets,” Smith explained. “I want to apply myself in many creative fields in one shape or form or another.”

When a friend let him know about a job opportunity at the CT Data Collaborative, Smith applied on the last day the job post would be up online. “I applied on a whim, and it has ended up being something beautiful,” Smith said.

He is a Communications Associate at CT Data Collaborative, a registered 501(c)(3), whose mission is to connect people and data to promote informed decision-making and to advance equity in Connecticut. He’s utilizing his WestConn Professional Writing degree by doing copy-editing of blog posts by data specialists and checking content in social media posts. Ultimately, he expects to be creating newsletter content and most likely creating his own blogs in the future. “So far, so good,” Smith said. “My colleagues are very committed to the cause and are nice, accommodating people.”

Smith credits his studies at WestConn with building his skillset in this creative outlet. “In addition to Louisa Burns Bisogno, Hunter Liguori was also very helpful in my writing journey,” he said. “All of my professors were on board with what I was trying to do. Now I really enjoy any type of copywriting or wordsmithing. In college, I found my avenue — and WestConn is cool for that.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.