Oceanna Smith, a Black woman wearing a white top with long hair, poses for a headshot

Title/Position

Youth Organizer

Pronouns

They/She

Oceanna is a Tyler County native and loves all the wild and wonderful West Virginia has to offer. As a Black, gay woman growing up in white, heteronormative spaces, she learned to appreciate her uniqueness at an early age. Now, she puts her effort towards helping today's youth do the same.

With a bachelor's degree in community arts education, she is pursuing her master's in community and organizational leadership and research at West Liberty University. Within her education, she has worked on projects with several WV nonprofit organizations that included topics of programming, lifelong learning, community empowerment, and youth leadership. 

Oceanna has a passion for serving and expresses it through her work. She was previously the program director for a youth center focused on meeting the needs of underserved children and families. She has also sat on the steering committees of Ohio County public health initiative projects. She believes that all youth deserve access to safe spaces and safe people.

Some of Oceanna’s interests include the arts, eccentric movies, bumbling through the woods unsupervised, and attempting to cook. She currently lives in Wheeling with her partner and finds enjoyment in seeking out opportunities for community involvement and contribution.