Johanna Smith’s life has taken her on the grandest adventures across the globe, but her story begins out east in Ohio, where she spent much of her early days growing up on a farm and finding her passions through high school athletics, particularly volleyball and basketball.
“I grew up on a hog farm in Wooster, Ohio,” Smith said. “I definitely have great memories of growing up on a farm and out in the country, but my passion was playing sports in high school.”
Smith stayed in her home state for college and attended Ohio University where she studied organizational communication. After graduation, Smith took a job as a food district manager at Aldi Foods. Her training required the Dale Carnegie course, which was where she met her husband. The two began dating, but it wasn’t long until he received a job offer down in Arkansas. They remained long-distance for a bit, and she eventually joined him once the two were married.
Smith and her husband lived in Arkansas from 2003-2009 until her husband received another job offer in Northwest Indiana. The two made the jump on a second long-distance move and have been in the area since. While she enjoyed her time in Arkansas, Smith was excited about the move as it allowed them both to be closer to their families.
“He had the flexibility to move where we wanted in the area,” Smith said. “He was looking at a map and he said, ‘Well, that Crown Point area looks like it's close to the highways,’ and then we looked in Chesterton, and as we were driving up to Chesterton I said, ‘What is this town?’ and we ended up here in Valparaiso. We’re just so incredibly thankful that this is where we ended up; what a great city.”
No matter where her life has taken her, Smith has always held her faith near and dear to her heart. It also helped her connect with others as she got adjusted to living in a brand-new city. She joined a mom’s group at Valparaiso Nazarene Church (VNC) and began attending the church when a friend invited her to come to events with her. Joining the church has led to many opportunities and connections while serving others, something she’ll always be grateful for.
Some of Smith’s fondest memories also stem from her faith, including joining her dad on a trip to the Holy Land in 2019, where she was also able to reconnect with her religious education teacher from elementary school.
Smith additionally values her family as much as her faith and likes to cherish the moments she has with them as much as possible. When her now high school and college-aged daughters were younger, Smith took a job as a lunch lady at Cooks Corner Elementary School while they attended school. There, she was able to spend some extra time with her girls while meeting people she would consider her closest friends, even to this day. She additionally has an eldest daughter and granddaughter who live out of state, and she enjoys visiting them when she gets the chance as well.
Throughout her time at Valpo, Smith continued to attend VNC and eventually found herself working there in a position she’s held for three years now. She began as an administrative assistant, and over time also took on the title of Events and First Impressions Coordinator. In her current role, she serves as the front face and voice of VNC, answering phones and greeting people as they walk through the doors while also having a hand in planning events the church hosts. Being in a front-facing position at VNC has helped Smith meet more people and create memorable, life-long connections to help foster a wonderful community unlike any other. While she has loved all the different jobs she’s held over the years, she has finally found her true calling: helping others through her faith at VNC.
“I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. Even though I went to college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I had some great jobs along the way, but this is the one that I know I’m where I’m supposed to be. I have the best job,” Smith said. “I get to see so many reasons why God created the church – not just the VNC, but the church as a whole. I’ve been able to see how all the parts and all the people come together to serve. It's just such an encouragement to me.”
Smith additionally enjoys visiting family both in Ohio and elsewhere when time allows and recently visited Nova Scotia, Canada to celebrate her mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. She also hasn’t strayed from her earlier years as an athlete and enjoys running marathons. She’s run in the Chicago Marathon in 2012 and 2020, as well as a couple for Team World Vision for clean water through her church.
Looking back, Smith advises herself to never stray from her faith and put God above all else, and that it would be God who would be at her side to help her get through it all. She also credits the people she’s met along the way, especially in Valpo, for making her time in the city some of the best she’s ever had.
“Our neighborhood is amazing, and our neighbors are awesome. It's really the people that make up all of that,” Smith said. “Valpo is a great location, and we're super close to the town. There's a lot here we can enjoy – it is somewhat of a small-town feel that is well taken care of. In the schools, the teachers and the staff at the schools have really been important to us. I also love our church community – there are so many amazing churches in this area, but our particular church has helped with all of our growth for our family and our children. It's been pretty good.”