Smith received a B.A. in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire in 2010, where she worked as Content Editor for the university's student newspaper and interned at both WCBS-TV New York and New Hampshire Public Television during the 2008 Primary season. Following graduation, she worked as a reporter and sub-editor in Cambodia for the capital's daily English-language newspaper, The Phnom Penh Post, and then as a volunteer in Guatemala City for the educational organization Camino Seguro. A native of Washington state, she plans on a career in international development, pushing for human rights on a global scale.