Dec. 26, 2019

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Laura Smith-Hill, education program coordinator at the LSS Center for New Americans.

Name: Laura Smith-Hill

Age: 43

Hometown: Ashton, Iowa

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I came to Sioux Falls for the opportunity to pursue my career — 19 years ago! I wanted to work with diverse populations, specifically teaching the English language and be close to my roots in northwest Iowa. Sioux Falls was the perfect fit.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

What keeps me in Sioux Falls is the rewarding and enriching work I do at the LSS Center for New Americans, coordinating an adult English language program for new and aspiring American citizens. Also, I find adventure and enjoyment in community engagement and service,  connecting with, learning and growing with good, warmhearted people. Finally, I enjoy the quality of life Sioux Falls provides with our beautiful downtown, easy morning commutes and a warm Midwest culture.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

The people! The people I get to work with and support comprise this unparalleled passionate and compassionate, respectful and diverse family. I get to work with staff who deeply care about and support each other and the people we get to serve. I feel exceedingly blessed by the talented, empathetic, loving people around me each day: the 11 adult English language instructors I supervise who put their all into facilitating language and literacy classes each day, the 16 on-call instructors who stand in the gap whenever needed, the 50 community volunteers who pour into our students’ learning each quarter, my 16 dedicated co-workers at New Americans who provide much-needed support services to our clients and the 700 adult learners who come to us each year with their heartfelt dreams of speaking English, reading better, becoming citizens, obtaining employment and making a positive contribution to our community.

How did you get connected to your industry?

While attending college in central Minnesota, my curiosity and desire to experience new cultures led me to study abroad in central China. There, I was exposed to the field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, EFL. After college, I pursued an EFL teaching opportunity in Hokkaido, Japan. Upon returning to the U.S. after two years in Japan, I wanted to continue in this field of teaching the English language. In Sioux Falls, I discovered an opportunity to teach English as a Second Language, ESL, and was captivated and hooked on the beautiful dynamic that exists in a multilingual, multicultural English class. I feel like I get to travel the world each day just by walking down the hallways of the LSS Center for New Americans.

Describe LSS in three words.

Compassion, excellence and service.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

Having been an active club member and leadership team member in Toastmasters for more than nine years, it’s a joy to welcome, encourage and mentor newer members of our Toastmasters 210 Club. I’m continually inspired by watching young and emerging leaders flourish in their communication and leadership skills. My part is giving words of support, feedback, guidance and humbly sharing from my experience and insight. As with any mentoring or voluntary service, we get back much more than we give out.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

I’d like to see a multiethnic entrepreneurship center somewhat like the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis or an indoor rock-climbing wall.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Geographically, here in Sioux Falls — although I wouldn’t mind occasional travel again to wish-list locales like Prague, France, Italy, Kurdistan and some African countries.

Professionally and personally, I am continually seeking opportunities to grow inside and outside of my work role. I am ceaselessly hungry for learning and development in the realm of leadership.

My heart is to be all I am called to be and, in the process, to inspire and uplift others in their life journey through my work, service and possibly through some form of creative expression such as writing or fashion. I have some budding interests in these areas. I hope in five years to have found additional outlets whereby I can share more value with our community and continue to grow with others through meaningful service and connection.