Jordan Smith, a University of Wisconsin senior, has been politically active her whole life.

Hailing from Norwich, New York, a small town near Syracuse, Smith grew up with what she calls "politically minded" parents, who encouraged her to speak her mind.

And now, as the chair of the UW College Republicans, Smith is doing just that.

Smith, a political science major who is also pursuing a business certificate, joined the College Republicans her sophomore year at UW, and has since spent the majority of her time working to further the Republican agenda on campus.

As a freshman on campus, Smith said she felt her political ideas were not well represented or appreciated, and wanted to find an appropriate outlet to speak her mind and further her beliefs

"I came out here and my freshman year I didn't even know there was College Republicans here, and I just felt like nobody understood me, I felt kind of marginalized," Smith said.

Upon joining the College Republicans her sophomore year, Smith said she found her niche on the UW campus, and it has become a very large part of her life.

"I don't know what my life would look like if I hadn't become a College Republican," Smith said. "Now that I've been involved for a few years all my good friends are College Republicans; it's a big part of my social circle."

Smith said she has been involved in a variety of Republican activities such as gubernatorial races, voter lists, has worked with the Dane County Republicans and was an avid participant in President Bush's campaign in Madison.

Robert Thelen, a UW senior and College Republicans member, said he has worked with Smith on a variety of campaigns, and said she has a variety of qualities that make her easy to work with.

"She's a very good organizer, she understands the principles of being a Republican, and she's just an all around good person," Thelen said. "She gives people the opportunity to succeed and it really makes it possible for people to get involved in College Republicans."

Smith said her current position as chairwoman has allowed her to participate even more in the political dialogue on campus, and that it has helped her grow as a leader on campus.

"Three goals of College Republicans when they decided to start them up was to help Republicans get elected, to support the Republican agenda and to recruit future leaders," Smith said. "I feel like being a part of College Republicans has kind of forced me to take leadership opportunities and to mature in a sense."

Smith said she plans to stay active politically after graduating this spring, with plans to participate in a campaign or other political activities.

"I want to give myself at least a year to assess my life and figure out how I want to be involved and get a career to do what I love," Smith said.