Sherri Smith currently serves as the event services coordinator in Campus Center and Student Experiences and recently celebrated her first work anniversary at IUPUI. Get to know her in this Q&A.
Best place you have ever visited and why?
When my daughter was two years old we took a family trip to Destin, Fla. We rented a house across the street from the beach, and we sat at the beach everyday with our toes in that beautiful white fluffy sand and crystal clear ocean water. It was just gorgeous and so relaxing. The trip really began my love for the sounds of the waves crashing and the ocean breeze, especially at night it was so calming to me. It was also our first friends and family trip that we started taking annually. It was the best, and we made some of great memories.
You’re going out for lunch during a workday. Where do you go?
My favorite place to go is Piada, but unfortunately, there is not one in the downtown area.
What makes IUPUI a great place to work in your eyes?
After leaving a job that I worked at for the past 25 years, I could not have chosen a better place to start over with. I have never felt so welcomed by a group of people. By allowing me time to learn the many ins and outs of my team, as well as my responsibilities at my own pace without the pressures of feeling like I need to know everything in a short amount of time, has really taken the stress off of me. No one has ever made me feel like I am not grasping information fast enough or that I am not holding up my end of the responsibilities that I have been given. It has been a blessing. While no job or company is perfect, I must give credit where credit is due -- as COVID took over the world IUPUI jumped right into action by placing the needs of everyone on campus as a priority to keep us safe. The university quickly put into place the necessary protocols and measures that were needed during these times.
What is your guilty pleasure TV show?
Black Ink Crew: New York is such a train wreck, but I keep watching. With all the fussing and fighting and bad acting, I just can’t turn away, and even on my trip to New York, I made my family go with me to Harlem so I could find the shop and take a picture. Pretty bad -- I know.
Most fun thing you did during the stay-at-home order earlier this year?
Throwing my daughter a drive-by 13th birthday party. We decked out the front yard with signs and passed out party favors to everyone that came by. It was a blast and she will never forget turning 13 during a pandemic.
Your go-to artist/band when you listen to music?
New Edition is my favorite group of all time. My girlfriends and I are what they call "NE Lifers." We are such groupies! Every chance we get to see them perform, we go sing the songs like it’s our first time seeing them and do all the dance steps. It is something to see.