Real West Virginian of the Week: Allen Smith — Helping students discover a future in West Virginia

By Hannah Yost, RealWV

ATHENS W.Va — Every year, Allen Smith helps hundreds of students answer one of life’s biggest questions: Where do I belong?

For some, the answer leads them hundreds of miles from home. For others, it brings them to the rolling hills of southern West Virginia, where Smith has spent his career helping students discover not only Concord University, but often themselves.

“I want to help students figure out what it is they want to do and find their identity,” Smith says. “Even if that means Concord isn’t the best fit for them, I still want to help them set themselves up for success.”

As director of admissions at Concord University, Smith has become one of the first faces countless prospective students meet when considering higher education. Whether speaking with students from West Virginia or recruiting in neighboring states, he views every conversation as an opportunity to change someone’s future while sharing a different story about the Mountain State.

A Wyoming County native, Smith grew up in Mullens before eventually enrolling at Concord University — a place he says always felt like home.

“My brother attended Concord before I did,” Smith recalls. “When I was in sixth grade, he brought me to campus for a football game and to stay in the residence halls. I remember the atmosphere and how everyone knew him. Even then, Concord just felt like home.”

Years later, after visiting several colleges, Smith returned to Concord as a student, majoring in art education while also studying oral communications. He immersed himself in campus life, serving as sports editor for the student newspaper, working in broadcast journalism, and eventually becoming a campus tour guide.

“Concord liked me so much they couldn’t get rid of me,” he jokes.

In reality, Smith admits, it was the other way around.

His experience as a student sparked a passion for helping others find the same sense of belonging he discovered on campus.

Today, his work stretches far beyond reading applications and planning recruitment events. Smith oversees much of Concord’s admissions process, traveling to schools, attending college fairs, meeting with counselors, organizing campus visits, reviewing applications, and helping prospective students navigate one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

But his mission extends beyond enrollment numbers.

For West Virginia students, Smith hopes to remind them they don’t have to leave the state to receive an exceptional education.

“I always want them to know they have resources like Concord right here in their backyard,” he says. “Students can do great things with a Concord education.”

He points to Concord alumni who have gone on to become entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators as proof that opportunity doesn’t require leaving home.

At the same time, Smith spends much of his year introducing students from outside West Virginia to a state that often suffers from unfair stereotypes.

“I think one of our biggest challenges is our geography,” Smith says. “People have stereotypes about southern West Virginia because of what they’ve seen or heard. But when they actually meet us, they see a different story.”

That personal connection, he says, often changes everything.

“When they see me, they see Concord.”

Whether he’s speaking with a high school senior at a college fair or welcoming a family to campus for the first time, Smith believes those conversations create opportunities to reshape perceptions of West Virginia while opening doors for future students.

“It’s never too early to start thinking about college,” he says. “Sometimes all you’re doing is planting a seed.”

Smith encourages young West Virginians who are uncertain about college to begin by identifying what they’re passionate about rather than worrying about having every answer.

“I always tell students to follow their passion,” he says. “There’s no need to be ashamed of not knowing exactly what you want to do. Sometimes it takes coming to college to figure that out.”

That philosophy has shaped both his professional and personal life.

Outside of admissions, Smith is an accomplished musician who has spent decades performing throughout the region. Inspired by a childhood filled with music played by his mother, he learned piano before teaching himself bass guitar and guitar. Today, he performs with multiple bands and has even shared the stage with nationally recognized groups including The Drifters, The Coasters, and The Platters.

Music, he says, has always been part of who he is.

“I just knew I loved it,” Smith says. “I wanted to keep learning as much about it as I could.”

His ability to balance a lifelong passion for music with a career devoted to education reflects the same message he shares with prospective students every day — finding success doesn’t mean choosing only one path.

Looking back, Smith hopes students remember that college is about much more than earning a degree.

It’s about becoming the person they’re meant to be.

“You come here one way, and you leave another way,” he says. “Concord is a place where you can discover yourself, grow into yourself, and become.”

For Smith, that’s the real reward of his work.

Every student who finds their place — whether they arrive from across West Virginia or across state lines — represents another opportunity to strengthen the communities, workforce, and future of the Mountain State he proudly calls home.