![Raven Smith](/uploads/1/4/1/7/141783785/editor/286905835-10166870913865352-3363124774868500656-n.jpg?1657125797)
Hello Everyone,
My first name is Lissa, but I go by my childhood nickname, Raven. (It's hard to break a 35 year old habit your parents started!) I was born and raised in Asheville, NC. After many years of living throughout the South, I have settled down in Waynesville, NC (about 40 miles west of Asheville).
I am a non-traditional student currently earning my Master's degree, online, with the School of Library and Information Sciences at University of Alabama. I earned my undergraduate degree with Western Carolina University's Anthropology department and gained a minor in Cherokee Studies. During my time there I began working as the Media Coordinator for the Cherokee Language Program. One of our grant proposals was an idea to create a language archive to help save the Cherokee language. I started this degree so I would be able to continue building this teaching archive with the Cherokee Language Program.
Honestly, I loved this university so much that I wanted to keep contributing to its success after my graduation. After working with the Cherokee Language Program part-time, grant funding ended and I moved to another position within WCU. Currently, I am working full-time as the Administrative Support Associate for the Geosciences and Natural Resources Department. I have also been a full-time graduate student during this time as well. Crazy, I know.
“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage”