Rachel Smith(XIV)
- Actress
Born a military brat in the Republic of Panama, Rachel grew to call
Tennessee her home after her parents were reassigned to Ft. Campbell,
home of the 101st Airborne Division, and soon settled there
permanently.
Being in close proximity to Nashville allowed Rachel the opportunity to
pursue her interest in the entertainment industry at a young age. By
the age of eight, she was performing in a live show at Opryland USA and
participating in various recording sessions and modeling jobs.
As Rachel grew into a young adult, she combined her passion for
entertaining and educating others to help determine her field of study
in college-journalism.
In December 2006, Rachel graduated a semester early from Belmont
University in Nashville, Tenn. There she received a Bachelor of Science
in Journalism while graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors. During
Rachel's time at Belmont, she was awarded many honors and
opportunities. Rachel received a full tuition scholarship to attend
Belmont due to her community service activities and academic
achievements throughout high school. She was on the Dean's List her
entire collegiate career and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor
Society. In addition, Rachel served as an officer for an on campus
organization that is dedicated to welcoming prospective students and
their families to the campus. Rachel also served as managing editor for
the student led campus newspaper, The Belmont Vision. When Rachel was
not in class or in the newspaper office, she could be found
volunteering at the Vine Hill Boys and Girls Club in Nashville.
During her time at Belmont, Rachel also completed two internships: one
at a local level-market 30 station, News Channel 5, WTVF-Nashville-and
the second on a national level-Harpo Productions, Inc. in Chicago.
The year of 2007 brought Rachel many exciting adventures. In January
she had an exciting opportunity to travel to South Africa to volunteer
at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls. The Leadership Academy
opened in January 2007 with 151 South African girls, ages seventh and
eighth grade, from disadvantaged backgrounds. The first-class school
offers academically talented girls an opportunity to develop their full
potential and become the country's future leaders. Then on March 23,
Rachel captured the title of Miss USA as Miss Tennessee USA at the
Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, Ca. For the remainder of 2007 until April
2008, Rachel worked under the Miss Universe Organization, a Donald J.
Trump and National Broadcasting Company, Inc (NBC) partnership, working
with the official causes of Miss USA, which include breast and ovarian
cancer education, research and legislation.
Now that Rachel's tenure as Miss USA has come to a close, she spends
her time freelancing as an entertainment host for E! News Now and
Radaronline.com. She also aspires to pursue a career in acting and,
eventually, found her own philanthropic organization educating those in
impoverished areas within our nation and beyond our country's borders.
In her spare time, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading, playing
basketball, and spending time with her family, which includes her
chocolate lab, Zoe, and her schnoodle, Spike.
Tennessee her home after her parents were reassigned to Ft. Campbell,
home of the 101st Airborne Division, and soon settled there
permanently.
Being in close proximity to Nashville allowed Rachel the opportunity to
pursue her interest in the entertainment industry at a young age. By
the age of eight, she was performing in a live show at Opryland USA and
participating in various recording sessions and modeling jobs.
As Rachel grew into a young adult, she combined her passion for
entertaining and educating others to help determine her field of study
in college-journalism.
In December 2006, Rachel graduated a semester early from Belmont
University in Nashville, Tenn. There she received a Bachelor of Science
in Journalism while graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors. During
Rachel's time at Belmont, she was awarded many honors and
opportunities. Rachel received a full tuition scholarship to attend
Belmont due to her community service activities and academic
achievements throughout high school. She was on the Dean's List her
entire collegiate career and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor
Society. In addition, Rachel served as an officer for an on campus
organization that is dedicated to welcoming prospective students and
their families to the campus. Rachel also served as managing editor for
the student led campus newspaper, The Belmont Vision. When Rachel was
not in class or in the newspaper office, she could be found
volunteering at the Vine Hill Boys and Girls Club in Nashville.
During her time at Belmont, Rachel also completed two internships: one
at a local level-market 30 station, News Channel 5, WTVF-Nashville-and
the second on a national level-Harpo Productions, Inc. in Chicago.
The year of 2007 brought Rachel many exciting adventures. In January
she had an exciting opportunity to travel to South Africa to volunteer
at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls. The Leadership Academy
opened in January 2007 with 151 South African girls, ages seventh and
eighth grade, from disadvantaged backgrounds. The first-class school
offers academically talented girls an opportunity to develop their full
potential and become the country's future leaders. Then on March 23,
Rachel captured the title of Miss USA as Miss Tennessee USA at the
Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, Ca. For the remainder of 2007 until April
2008, Rachel worked under the Miss Universe Organization, a Donald J.
Trump and National Broadcasting Company, Inc (NBC) partnership, working
with the official causes of Miss USA, which include breast and ovarian
cancer education, research and legislation.
Now that Rachel's tenure as Miss USA has come to a close, she spends
her time freelancing as an entertainment host for E! News Now and
Radaronline.com. She also aspires to pursue a career in acting and,
eventually, found her own philanthropic organization educating those in
impoverished areas within our nation and beyond our country's borders.
In her spare time, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading, playing
basketball, and spending time with her family, which includes her
chocolate lab, Zoe, and her schnoodle, Spike.