Interviewer: Noelle Mannen
Interview Date: February 18, 2020
Location: Dixon Recreation Center, Oregon State University
Duration: 1:02:12
In this interview, Michelle Smith (Estell prior to her marriage) shares with us her journey from playing basketball in a small town outside Columbus, Ohio to how she ended up falling in love with Oregon State and the city of Corvallis. Growing up, Michelle was a huge sports star, as she was talented enough to earn a college scholarship in volleyball, basketball, or track and field. Basketball, however, was her love, the sport for which she felt she received the most support, and her ticket to go on a big adventure across the country.
Michelle shares that she was raised in a traditional family with two parents and her older brother in a small town outside of Columbus. She played AAU basketball growing up with several other girls who went on to earn Division I scholarships. Most of them headed to Ohio State, but Michelle wanted something different. A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Smith says that following her official visit to Oregon State, she fell in love with the campus and Corvallis, but was also thrilled by the opportunity to go on such a big adventure. She always saw it as an adventure, and rarely ever remembers feeling truly homesick.
Next, Michelle shares some of her academic passions and how she ended up majoring in psychology with a minor in zoology. She says that she was always known for giving good advice, which led her to psychology, and that her upbringing in a family that bred dogs was the source of her desire to study animals, particularly marine mammals. After graduation she garnered several job offers for her work in the marine biology field - including one from Disney at their new Animal Kingdom - which she turned down to stay in Corvallis and start a family with her newlywed husband. After this, she shares more about how she feels that going to a smaller high school played a big role in making her feel like she really mattered, which is something that many teens struggle with. She also tells about her high school athletic director, who served as one of her biggest mentors in the recruiting process all throughout her high school career.
Next, we get to Michelle’s time at Oregon State. She begins by sharing the years that she attended and some information about getting married in college and what that was like for her. From there, she shares her insights as someone who has been in Corvallis for quite some time, noting how both Oregon State and Corvallis have changed over time. Most notably, she says that the beautiful Basketball Center is one of the biggest changes she has seen. After this, Michelle shares some of her interests outside of basketball while at OSU, including serving as the president of Poling Hall during her freshman year - where she implemented several karaoke nights - as well as her time as senior class president. Then, we get to the meat of the interview where Michelle shares about her life as an Oregon State basketball player: what it was like as a player, the details of her daily life, and some of the best and worst parts of being a student athlete. One of her biggest lessons was learning how to become the role player that the team needed her to be after being the star in high school. She says that this was a valuable lesson, and one that prepared her for life after college.
Following this, Michelle shares more about specific teammates and coaches, especially head coach Judy Spoelstra, who had a huge impact on her as an athlete and who she continues to have amazing relationships with to this day. She discusses travel accommodations; some of her biggest takeaways from competing at a high level; and some of the biggest differences that she sees in OSU’s women’s basketball program from then to now. To wrap things up, she shares more about why she decided to stay in Corvallis after college, much of which had to do with her extremely active faith life, and the relationships and community that she has formed here because of it. She continues to be very active on the Oregon State campus, serving on multiple athletic committees as well as teaching several classes at Dixon Recreation Center. She has high hopes for the future, but wants to make sure that her relationships with God, her husband, and her children always come first.
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Michelle shares that she was raised in a traditional family with two parents and her older brother in a small town outside of Columbus. She played AAU basketball growing up with several other girls who went on to earn Division I scholarships. Most of them headed to Ohio State, but Michelle wanted something different. A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Smith says that following her official visit to Oregon State, she fell in love with the campus and Corvallis, but was also thrilled by the opportunity to go on such a big adventure. She always saw it as an adventure, and rarely ever remembers feeling truly homesick.
Next, Michelle shares some of her academic passions and how she ended up majoring in psychology with a minor in zoology. She says that she was always known for giving good advice, which led her to psychology, and that her upbringing in a family that bred dogs was the source of her desire to study animals, particularly marine mammals. After graduation she garnered several job offers for her work in the marine biology field - including one from Disney at their new Animal Kingdom - which she turned down to stay in Corvallis and start a family with her newlywed husband. After this, she shares more about how she feels that going to a smaller high school played a big role in making her feel like she really mattered, which is something that many teens struggle with. She also tells about her high school athletic director, who served as one of her biggest mentors in the recruiting process all throughout her high school career.
Next, we get to Michelle’s time at Oregon State. She begins by sharing the years that she attended and some information about getting married in college and what that was like for her. From there, she shares her insights as someone who has been in Corvallis for quite some time, noting how both Oregon State and Corvallis have changed over time. Most notably, she says that the beautiful Basketball Center is one of the biggest changes she has seen. After this, Michelle shares some of her interests outside of basketball while at OSU, including serving as the president of Poling Hall during her freshman year - where she implemented several karaoke nights - as well as her time as senior class president. Then, we get to the meat of the interview where Michelle shares about her life as an Oregon State basketball player: what it was like as a player, the details of her daily life, and some of the best and worst parts of being a student athlete. One of her biggest lessons was learning how to become the role player that the team needed her to be after being the star in high school. She says that this was a valuable lesson, and one that prepared her for life after college.
Following this, Michelle shares more about specific teammates and coaches, especially head coach Judy Spoelstra, who had a huge impact on her as an athlete and who she continues to have amazing relationships with to this day. She discusses travel accommodations; some of her biggest takeaways from competing at a high level; and some of the biggest differences that she sees in OSU’s women’s basketball program from then to now. To wrap things up, she shares more about why she decided to stay in Corvallis after college, much of which had to do with her extremely active faith life, and the relationships and community that she has formed here because of it. She continues to be very active on the Oregon State campus, serving on multiple athletic committees as well as teaching several classes at Dixon Recreation Center. She has high hopes for the future, but wants to make sure that her relationships with God, her husband, and her children always come first.