William Smith is a senior from St. Charles, Minnesota, majoring in philosophy and theology. His research interests include religion in Europe today, the intersection of aesthetics--the study of beauty--and education on the peripheries, and the impact of aesthetic experience on urban homelessness. These research interests have led him to volunteer at Andre House of Hospitality in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the Center for Social Concerns' Summer Service Learning Program as well as intern at Jekh Drom, a children's and adult resource center for the Roma people of Važec, Slovakia, as part of the Nanovic Institute's Serving(in)Europe program.
Smith received the Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarship to study abroad in Rome, Italy. While in Italy, Smith continued his studies of philosophy and theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where he explored the extensive influence of Christianity on Western thought, the rich cultural tradition of Italian art, and the current social issues of modern Italy, including immigration, poverty, and crime. During his time abroad, Smith also received a research grant from the Nanovic Institute for European Studies to study the aesthetic legacy of St. Cuthbert in modern England.