University Recreation Student Leader to Receive National Award

Brandon Smith was surprised to learn that he had been selected to receive the William N. Wasson Student Leadership & Academic Award from the National Intramural-Recreation Sports Association (NIRSA) during a recent meeting with his supervisor.

“I was honestly surprised I was nominated for the award,” Smith said. “It wasn’t until my supervisor told me I was picked that it sank in.”

The William N. Wasson Student Leadership & Academic Award recognizes top students who either participate in or are employed by Recreational Sports Departments. To be eligible for the award, students must have an overall GPA of 2.75, promote volunteerism in the campus or community and exemplify outstanding student leadership. Award winners are recognized at the NIRSA Annual Conference on February 21-24, held in Washington D.C.

His journey in the field of collegiate recreation began in January 2015 as a basketball official. From there, Brandon saw an opportunity to get involved with University Recreation and supplement the skills that he is learning in the classroom.

“University Recreation directly applies to everything we learn in the classroom. We programming for sports, manage staff and learn the ins-and-outs of the industry. What started as a job, became a passion and career for me.”

As Brandon’s passion for sports grew, he assumed a leadership position as a Sports Programs program assistant. In this role, he oversees six sports offered by University Recreation and supervises 25-50 soccer officials.

Brandon is also instrumental in the development of the Unified Sports League. The league is a partnership between collegiate recreation departments and local Special Olympics chapters in which students team up with Special Olympic athletes. NC State organizes flag football and basketball leagues during the academic year.

As a senior in the College of Natural Resources, studying sports management, Brandon is also involved in other organizations on-campus. He is the President of Rho Phi Lamba, the national honor society for parks and recreation and serves as a College of Natural Resources ambassador.

Emilie Buzhardt, coordinator of Sports Programs, who nominated Brandon wrote, “He played a huge role in organizing and facilitating the Special Olympics intramural basketball and flag football leagues at NC State by building strong relationships with unified partners to organizing all of the programming and staffing for both leagues. He has also shown strong leadership as an ambassador for both the College of Natural Resources and the sports management department at NC State by devoting countless hours to recruit new students to attend NC State in both of these roles.”

Looking forward to the future, Brandon hopes to obtain a graduate assistantship in the collegiate recreation field and to work towards officiating varsity high school basketball.

When asked what his advice was for other students hoping to gain practical experience, Smith noted, “Try something that you like. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and take all the opportunities that you can, especially on-campus jobs.”