Harrison Smith is Project Access’ Chief Product Officer. A member of the Global Leadership Team (GLT), his job fundamentally encompasses supporting our mentees and helping his team thrive.

Harrison has been with the organization for over two years; he’s played an active role in improving organizational efficiency and team culture, and in the accomplishment of long-term goals!

From his POV:

As a first-generation student, Harrison has a deep appreciation for the issues that PA is addressing. Although his parents and grandparents could not guide him through the application process, they always encouraged him to persevere, and remain his inspirations to this day. Another major influence in his life was the woman who introduced him to the world of startups at Railsbank. She taught him the importance of a good work ethic and strong leadership, which are values that he continues to live by.

What three words would he use to describe the culture within the PA team? Enabling with ownership. He strongly believes that the key to building a sustainable and innovative work environment is to align the work you do with your interests. Finding a balance with one’s personal and professional life is especially important, as working from home becomes the new norm.

Though it is difficult at times to align his passions and purpose, he ensures that all of his academic and professional pursuits contribute toward his mission in life. He studies history and computer science at Yale University, and runs ultramarathons in his free time. Once, he ran a 50 mile marathon in Oregon - that’s over 80 kilometers!

As for the ultimate goal of the GLT?

A Day in the Life:

When Harrison stepped into his role as CPO, there was a lot of work to be done. As our team has grown, he has been involved in transitioning the organization away from a manual mentor-pairing process and growing PA’s services to encompass the many stepping stones in one’s academic career by helping develop our Prep and Graduate programs.

Sitting on the GLT is not just answering emails all day, however. Harrison is always working on developing the depth of PA’s impact around the world, expanding our programs, and improving life at PA for our team members. In one year’s time, Harrison not only sees Project Access expanding further across the US, UK, and EU, but also providing mentorship for students to apply to the top universities in their home countries!

His favourite part:

Harrison particularly enjoys spending time with his like-minded peers at PA. They can spend hours chatting, discussing personal and professional challenges, and building lasting friendships. He has yet to find another organization as close-knit and passionate about achieving a common goal as PA.

A message to you:

If you are interested in joining the Project Access community as a volunteer or as a mentee, we would love to hear from you!

In Harrison’s words, PA is a one-of-a-kind organization that allows you to pursue opportunities to grow into the person you want to be. Our community offers a great network of individuals and application aid to the top universities in the world, all with the aim of building the student leaders of tomorrow.

Written by Veronica Aharon, 2nd year BSc Student at York University.

Do you have any topics you would especially like to see covered on our blog? People you would like to meet? Places you want to see? Send your suggestions to veronica.aharon@projectaccess.org ✉️