Pamela Smith doesn’t always take the easy road – but she knows where she’s headed. A U.S. Army veteran, one-time single mom, Human Resources (HR) director, nonprofit founder, and now student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration at Phoenix College (PC), Smith embodies the kind of resilience and purpose-driven ambition that Maricopa Community Colleges supports. Her journey back to the classroom happened because she refused to stop asking what was possible.
Service as a Way of Life
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pamela volunteered from the age of seven alongside her sisters at events benefiting the AIDS Task Force, the Children’s Museum, and education. That upbringing instilled in her a conviction she still lives by: if you can serve, you should.
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pamela felt hopeless seeing so many people unhoused and losing their lives. As a veteran living in Phoenix, she kept asking herself, “What can I do?” She founded Road to Amazing — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to serving Phoenix’s unhoused community. With her family as volunteers, she distributed water, food, blankets, hygiene products, and weatherization supplies at downtown encampments. She partnered with Starbucks’ day-old bread program to deliver pastries and coffee to families in Encanto Park and along 16th Street. Pamela embedded her message behind every distribution: there is a road to amazing, and no one should be left without a map.
A Late Start, a Strong Foundation
Like many students, Pamela’s path to higher education was not direct. “I didn’t understand the concept of financial aid or have the best support system as far as school was concerned,” she said, “so I put off college.” Instead, she focused on being a single mom to her son, Antonio.
Still, she never stopped learning. Pamela rose through the ranks of human resources–“reading, learning, and having really great mentors in the field”–and became an HR director for Club Tattoo, across six states. She eventually married and had another son, Asahn. She credits her husband Joseph’s support as instrumental.
While cultivating her career, her passion for community building and advocacy never wavered. Her elder son, now in his third year of college, prompted Pamela to reconsider her own education. The State of Arizona offered her a scholarship for an accelerated Administration of Justice Certificate through one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Pamela responded, “Well, sign me up for that!” She has always loved law and policy. She attended Phoenix College and graduated in 2024 with a 3.9 GPA and a spot on the Dean’s list.
A Conversation that Changed Everything
Walking across the graduation stage reignited something in Smith. She’d missed this feeling — the momentum of learning, the structure of a goal, the pride of achievement. That experience had her asking, “What’s next? What else can I do?” She qualified for PC’s honors program and received another scholarship. A new educational journey before her, she said, “Let it begin.”
Initially enrolled in the paralegal track, a candid conversation with then-Phoenix College President (now Provost of MCCCD) Dr. Kimberly Britt redirected her course entirely. “She said, ‘Why not think about going to law school?’” Pamela recalled. It was the encouragement she didn’t know she needed. She pivoted to the Public Safety Administration (PSA) bachelor’s program, which aligns with her interest in law, policy, and advocacy, and completed her associate’s degree in Administration of Justice in December 2025. She is now on track to earn her bachelor’s degree in 2027 and plans to take the LSAT in October.
More Than a Title
Last school year, Pamela served as Phoenix College’s Student Senator. This year, she represents students on the MCCCD Governing Board. “I don’t want this to be just a role and a title,” she says. “I want it to be measurable.”
With a district-wide student engagement initiative in the works, beginning with town hall meetings and lunches to connect directly with students, the goal is to create a lasting framework — complete with metrics — so future student board members have something tangible to build on. She’s also advocating for expanded scholarship opportunities, emergency grant funding, tuition assistance, greater transparency around student fees and the adoption of open educational resources to reduce textbook costs. Mental health access, mentorship programming, and stronger support systems for first-generation and nontraditional students are also at the top of her agenda.
Smith understands these issues from the inside. She is, after all, the student she’s advocating for. When she talks to other students on campus, she’s not performing empathy — she’s speaking from lived experience. In one recent interaction, a student asked her whether she should bother going to class since her GPA was already strong. Pamela turned it back on her: “You already have a 3.8. Why not get a 4.0? You didn’t come here just to coast. Why not go and get what you came for?” The student went to class.
Looking Ahead
In February, Smith headed to Capitol Hill as part of Phi Theta Kappa advocacy efforts, where she spoke before congressional representatives on behalf of community college students nationwide. She’s also coordinating Phoenix College’s Student Empowerment Summit, participating in State Legislative Day at Phoenix Forge, and leading Party to the Polls — a student voting engagement initiative.
Approaching law school, she has her eyes on education law and advocacy — representing students and families navigating an educational system that can be challenging to access. If Dr. Britt’s advice is any guide, Pamela Smith is one not to be underestimated.
“I don’t know what doors will open up for me in the future,” she says. “But I’m excited to be on the journey.”
Serve your community with a Public Safety Administration bachelor’s degree at Phoenix College. Earn resume-building certificates and an associate’s degree along the way.