Profile: This Viking's Calling You

A wrestler and criminal justice major shares his PSU experience.

Zack Smith takes every chance he can get to tell people how important scholarships are to Portland State students. At the PSU Telefund where he's a supervisor, Smith and his fellow student callers make personal contact with thousands of alumni and friends each year.

"I love working at the Telefund. It's a great cause that benefits everyone on campus. State funding is now only about 16 percent of PSU's budget. That means costs for students keep going up, so gifts from alumni and friends make a huge difference."

He speaks from personal knowledge. Smith came to Portland State from Graham, Washington, because he wanted to compete in Division I wrestling and experience college in an urban environment. But his first week was rough.

"I was a freshman and I was homesick and my classes seemed hard and all that. Then one day at practice the coach said, "Sign here, you're getting the Doc Westcott Wrestling Scholarship. That was a major boost!"

Smith speaks highly of the criminal justice program at PSU. Because he juggles daily wrestling practice, classes, and evenings at the Telefund, he appreciates the full range of online courses available. "The teachers are all really responsive."

"I like doing fundraising," he adds. "One night I called a donor who happened to be having a party at his house right then. But he spent probably twenty minutes talking to me about how happy he is to support PSU. It was really cool. That's the attitude we hope to create more of. That's what it's all about."