Introducing Mara Smith, CTB’s Trustee
by Carlos Martinez
“The world is better when we have diverse circles, with diverse individuals who have been given access to resources that allowed them to go through some of the barriers that have kept them out of the rooms where decisions are being made”
- Mara Smith
Mara Smith is an attorney. A graduate from the University of Scranton, she received her JD from Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She is passionate about higher education and has been following Arrupe College --the very first CTB model college-- since its inception. She loves and believes in CTB’s mission which is what drew her to become a Trustee. As a University of Scranton graduate, she was instilled with the Jesuit values within her own personal values, and she applies these everywhere she goes. Mara tells us that “the space for faith, the space for community, the space to truly pursue education in a really autonomous way had an integral role in forming her as a person and as a professional, as a woman for others.”
She sees the barriers of private higher education to succeed and as a privileged person from an upper-middle-class household with two parents, she recognizes that not everyone has access to the same and wants to be part of reducing these barriers. It is important to give access to everyone, regardless of background, as it allows us to see things from a different perspective.
Moreover, Mara believes that “access is one of the most pressing issues facing higher education today…and it is pretty common knowledge that a diverse group helps create diverse, positive results far more than a homogeneous group might.” Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that lack of access comes in different forms, such as socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, race, identity. And often marginalized populations do not have access.
Additionally, she understands that the “CTB Network takes a more holistic approach to looking at the application process, to looking at the acceptance process, and to looking at the student journey. It is really important that the CTB Network provides everything from academic resources, to personal resources, to mental health resources, to opportunities to meet individuals who have the opportunity to give you internships [...] and exposure to things that you might not be exposed to during your day-to-day.”
CTB looks at what value a student can bring into the CTB model. CTB puts diverse people in communities where they are often underrepresented. Mara observes “What CTB does is try to look at the barriers head-on and say how can we help people push through?” To Mara, it is incredibly rewarding to support an organization that commits to facing these challenges and reinventing higher education in a way that is accessible and equitable. She tells donors that what they are giving to is opportunity, to the reduction of barriers, and to an increase in diversity, and thought-leaders in the community from the communities that need to be represented.
We know that Mara is passionate about being a woman for others, finding ways to give back to communities and look at things from a different perspective. But let’s learn a bit more about her: she is an attorney and former Jesuit Corp Volunteer. She cares about higher education and health care. This led her to figure out the intersection of higher education and health care, such as food insecurity and fitness, and how to address these issues. Mara has learned a lot from others, and she does not want to take credit from those who have been able to influence who she is. Also, she loves Mac & Cheese!
Mara concludes “In the next five years, I CTB changing the face of higher education... changing what access looks like to higher education. Whatever number of schools we go out to and we are able to make these partnerships we are changing the conversation about access in higher education and what it means to have access... it’s really about looking at the individual who is applying ... what challenges have they overcome, what resources have they utilized in their own lives.” CTB is challenging the status quo. Mara believes higher education must be a right, not a privilege. Not only an elite few should get access, everyone should.
