“To me, being a legacy student means holding a pre-existing place in this community while also making my own path”
December 2025 – When Dorothy Jayne Smith T’28 decided to enroll at Drew Theological School, the decision came naturally. She is the fifth member of her family to do so.
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Her father, Steven Smith T’97, her brother Samuel Smith T’25, and her grandparents, Sally White T’02 and Rodger White T’07, are all Drew Theological School alums.
Pursuing a Master of Divinity with a vocational focus in United Methodist Ministry, Smith says her decision was shaped by both her family’s legacy and Drew’s distinctive academic strengths. Read on to learn more.
Why Drew?
Drew Theological School’s academic strengths align well with the field of interests I have in theology, my undergraduate work in sociology, and where I plan to do ministry—ecology, social justice, and the intersections with religion. I believe that Drew’s diverse faculty and scholarship and its innovative approach to education create an environment in which l could find myself both uniquely challenged and able to grow in how I live into my vocation. However, I’d be lying if I said my decision wasn’t influenced by my family’s long standing relationship with the school. I had already been to the Tipple lectures as a teenager, and grew somewhat familiar with this forested campus. I had seen firsthand how special and how strong the Drew community was, and felt drawn to it.
What does it mean to you to be a legacy student?
To me, being a legacy student means holding a pre-existing place in this community while also making my own path. Having generations of people to come before me has made it easier to feel like a concrete part of the school. On my very first day on campus, I had people asking if I was Sam’s sister, Steve’s daughter, or Sally’s granddaughter. While on one hand, I am always careful not to use these connections to gain others’ favor (after all, bringing up those names comes with heavy expectations to live up to!), there’s something deeply comforting in being recognized, in being already known to so many people. Drew Theological School is already a caring and compassionate community of academics, and I know I would feel at home here as a legacy student or not. I feel deeply honored and proud to have signed my name in the same 150-year-old matriculation book as four of my relatives.
