A Man of the People

Class of 2011 Alumnus Logan Smith Fosters a Career of Service Through Education and Action

Thoughtful, well-spoken and charismatic, Logan Smith is everything I expected in a young man with a deep passion for service.  Yet the cool, calm and collected gentleman I met painted a different and slightly passive high school experience at Valencia High School.

“If you knew me in High School, I was a bit awkward, had only a handful of friends and you could generally find me in a corner by the science building,” said Logan.  “But I had a few standout teachers who really helped bring me out of my ‘corner’, so to speak.”

Logan formed a love for architecture after spending hours of classes with Ms. Wilson during his time at VHS.  She was a great mentor, listener and an integral part of his high school experience. “Ms. Wilson was that teacher who I could talk to, confide in and share things I was going through at school or at home. I had her all four years at Valencia and she truly improved my high school experience.”

Another standout teacher, Mr. Marcucilli, made a huge impact on Logan and is someone Logan still keeps in touch with to this day, along with Greg Hayes. “These days, you will find Mr. Marcucilli traveling through Europe, or some new country he is exploring in his retirement.  He and his wife live an amazing life and I love to follow him on social media,” Logan shared. “He really should write a book.”

Though he did toy around with the idea of a video game design career while in college, Logan found the fast-paced and cut-throat nature of the game industry too unsettling for him.  So he decided to go into politics… (can you hear my sarcasm?)

“My grandfather was an architect and my father was a game designer, so I think it runs in the family.  I won some cool awards in high school, but Southern California architecture can be very formatted and I wanted to be more creative.  Something just called me to service, so I followed that path to where I am today,” said Logan.

Professionally, Logan spends his days working with a non-profit organization promoting voter education, voter registration as well as reinforcing to the younger generations the importance of having an opinion and being heard.  It’s a huge responsibility, and one Logan seems to handle in stride.

I must admit that I was surprised to hear he didn’t go into architecture after listening him speak about it, but when you see Logan speak about educating our youth and promoting voter registration, you can see in his eyes he found his true calling and passion in life. Like many people in the business of educating others, Logan spends many days and much of his time talking to people.  No rehearsed speeches or preaching from a podium, Logan makes it a point to engage in organic conversations, often ending in debate, but always with an understanding that everyone is doing their best to listen to others.

“I can get into it online with someone, but at the end of the day we are both just trying to share our opinion and understand one another.  So, I make a point to ask them to coffee or to grab a beer after to help resolve any unrest that may be. It’s just what I feel is the right thing to do”, said Logan. “And many times we realize we have much more in common than we thought we did. In the end, we all just want what is best for our families and our neighbors, so I feel that is the starting point to finding some resolution between the divide in our country.”

There is almost a “Clark Kent”-esque vibe to Logan Smith.  And the more I talk with him, the more I really like him. He is easy going and educated, confident and kind.  Logan also spends much of his time working on his double major in Political Science & Communication Studies at College of the Canyons, as he works toward transferring to UCLA and completing his graduate program at USC.  He has some giant aspirations as well as a lot of hard work in front of him, but I think it is a challenge Logan looks forward to, and finds such great fulfillment from.

One recent accolade of note came last year when Logan took the helm as the Statewide Field Director for the California Clean Money Campaign (CCMC). Logan worked specifically on passing the bill AB 249, The California Disclose Act. It requires that all political ads must list the top 3 campaign financiers on each piece of marketing as well as in commercials. It basically keeps transparency between the campaign and the public. “It was a huge win for me personally and the coalition at the CCMC who have spent 7 years working on this piece of legislature. When I got the call, I have to admit I teared up for a minute just knowing that we changed history for the better,” said Logan

Taking another natural and progressive step in his life, Logan Smith is passionately running for Santa Clarita City Council this fall. You can learn more about his campaign, his beliefs and how you can support him at www.smithforsantaclarita.com.

Disclaimer: This article is not an endorsement of any candidate. Logan Smith was featured in our alumni news because he graduated from Valencia High School.