At the age of 12, Ana Victoria Smith ’19 attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama and there she knew that she would one day end up in the STEM field. 

“I became a huge space nerd, and spent many more summers at space camp,” she said. “In my sophomore and junior years at Oakcrest I took part in the NASA Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and I was part of the Science Olympiad team from its inception.”

Now a senior at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Ana Victoria is majoring in Computer Engineering. She hopes to continue her education and earn a master’s degree in computer engineering following her undergraduate graduation in the spring. This past summer, Ana Victoria interned for the Munitions Directorate at the Air Force Research Lab on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where she worked on unmanned aerial vehicle or drone systems. 

“My science classes and the teachers were very important to me during my Oakcrest years,” she said. “Dr. Hussmann, Mrs. Kanuch, and Mrs. DeLisle were so encouraging and helpful whenever I struggled to understand their classes.  They were also supportive in my STEM pursuits outside of Oakcrest.” 

From writing letters of recommendation to sharing successes and providing encouragement and support, Ana Victoria said that Oakcrest “goes above and beyond to prepare their students and teach them beyond academics,” and that each of her teachers influenced her in one way or another. 

“I spent my formative years at Oakcrest, and during that time the teachers at Oakcrest really helped shape me into who I am today,” she said. 

As her current course load is nearly all STEM classes, Ana Victoria said she now recognizes the true value of a liberal arts education. 

“I left Oakcrest able to speak publicly, format a compelling presentation, write a thesis, write a formal email, and already knew what study methods worked best for me,” she said. “These aren’t skills necessarily taught at other schools or even universities depending on your degree, yet have come up constantly in my life.  I was able to walk into college with confidence in my educational background.

“I find myself still thinking through most every new thing I learn.  Whenever I read a book I know it is more than the words as there is a whole world going around a story.  When I see a news article I know there are two sides to the argument and to be critical of both.  When I learn a new scientific fact I see its potential knowing the order of the natural world isn’t a mistake.  It is a part of me that keeps me engaged with the world around me and makes me yearn to know more, something I truly owe to the liberal arts education Oakcrest provided me.”

Beyond the classroom, Ana Victoria has continued fostering her love and passion for dancing, participating in many different groups on campus. 

She shares that one of her most memorable Oakcrest memories is the approval process for the Oakcrest Vienna campus, when the whole school community filled the seats at a Fairfax County Supervisors meeting to speak on behalf of the school. 

“The Vienna campus groundbreaking and eventual move were great lessons in civics and the power of prayer,” she said. 

To Oakcrest seniors as they prepare to graduate, Ana Victoria says, “I would encourage anyone who danced, played sports, played an instrument, sang in a chorus or had an activity that brought you joy, to not give up those things that are a part of who you are.  It won't be as it was in high school, and you might even have to find new ways to enjoy old loves.  Change can be difficult but it can also be liberating, and it might be just the catalyst you need to try something new.”