Dawn Smith is assistant principal of Warm Springs Elementary School on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation where the student population of the school is 98% American Indian. Ms. Smith has developed a counseling program designed not only to meet the general needs of the children of the reservation but also to help students define their dreams and make them come true. She strives for personal knowledge and growth, saying, "I feel that ignorance and racism are the greatest barriers to personal growth, and I teach to overcome these tendencies." Ms. Smith believes she was born to educate which explains why teaching is her lifelong commitment.
