It was just a few weeks before the start of spring semester when Washington State University Pullman senior Jackee Smith suddenly found herself living alone without a car or basic apartment furnishings.
As a student with Tourette’s Syndrome, a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds, Smith found the prospect of living alone for the first time in her life to be a terrifying prospect.
“I have seizure-like episodes and I tend to hit my head a lot in them,” Smith wrote. “My mom and dad were worried sick that something would happen to me.”
Her parents, John and Kimberly Smith, sprang into action to make sure she could complete her final semester.
“They put their own lives aside to make sure that I can get through to graduation and that I don’t drown under the pressure,” Smith wrote in her parents’ nomination. “My mom and dad are everywhere in every aspect of my life and nominating them for Chosen Coug is the least I can do to say thank you.”
For their tireless support of their daughter, the Smiths were recognized on Saturday, April 2, during the Chosen Coug Award Celebration at the Round Top Public House Pavilion in Pullman.
The award, managed by the Division of Student Affairs and sponsored by BECU, recognizes individuals that have made a distinct impact on a student’s experience at WSU. It is given twice a year during WSU’s Fall and Spring Family Weekends.
‘They are one team’
Smith’s parents have made frequent trips to Pullman from their home in Spokane to do everything from cleaning and cooking to grocery shopping and taking her cat to the vet. Her mom helps keep her company when she feels alone, and her dad helps ease her anxieties before she conducts interviews as a Murrow News 8 journalist.
“My parents have made a lot of sacrifices to make sure I’ve been okay,” Smith said. “Both my parents deserve to be the Chosen Coug because they aren’t just two separate people, they are one team.”
Support comes from many
The Chosen Coug selection committee received 29 nominations for the spring 2022 award. Angela Lenssen, who managed the selection process in the Division of Student Affairs, said all types of individuals were nominated, including a local business owner, a 4-H leader, a sorority house director, and WSU faculty members.
“An underlying theme among many of the nominations this spring is students want to recognize people who have helped them cope with mental health challenges,” Lenssen said. “These students were very open about how hard it has been for them, and how many different types of people have been there to support them through their struggles.”
Colette Casavant, director of Student Success in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) and a member of the selection committee, said the level of commitment, support, and compassion offered by each nominee was astounding.
“As Cougs, we are like a family, and family lifts us when we fall, celebrate us when we achieve, and holds us when we struggle,” she said. “The love and support of Kimberly and John Smith for their daughter Jackee exemplifies this.”
Joining Casavant on the selection committee were Kristina Peterson-Wilson (Office of the Provost), Elizabeth Perez (CAHNRS), Jeanne Weiler (Office of the President), Rob Morales (Access Center), Akshaya Venkatesh (graduate student), and Kyle Stokes (undergraduate student).
