Major Gerald I. and Mrs. Olena Smith

The Gerald I. and Olena Smith Community Service Endowed Scholarship is established by Gerald I. Smith Jr., originally from Bad Axe, MI and Olena Smith, originally from Kolomiya, Ukraine. Gerald met Olena in 1997 while serving in the Peace Corps in Ukraine from 1997-1999. Gerald is an alumnus of SVSU who earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from SVSU in 1995 and earned his Master’s in Business Administration from SVSU in 2000. In 2001 Gerald joined the United Stated Air Force. After attending classes at SVSU, Olena received a graduate assistantship and earned her Master’s in Geographic Information Systems.

Both Gerald and Olena strongly believe in community service and family values. To show their appreciation and to give back to the community, they created the Gerald I. and Olena Smith Community Service Endowed Scholarship to encourage volunteer and community service.