VCU news

By Corey Byers

Editor’s note: Meet-a-Ram is an occasional VCU News series about the students, faculty, staff and alumni who make Virginia Commonwealth University such a dynamic place to live, work and study.

Denise Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from VCU before becoming a safety ambassador for VCU Police. Full-time safety ambassadors have completed training in crisis intervention and mental health first aid, which helps team members recognize someone going through a mental health crisis and how to render aid or offer resources.

Safety ambassadors handle calls for service that do not require a sworn police officer, such as routine medical transports of patients and status checks on students living in residence halls. Smith thrives on using her education and personal experience to work with students struggling with mental health concerns.

What drew you to apply to become a VCU safety ambassador?

I have a passion for social work and started my social work path in 2006, when I decided to attend VCU. I acquired my Bachelor of Social Work while working at James Branch Cabell Library. I fell in love with VCU and continued to work at Cabell, where I saw the need for a mental health response team. On many occasions, I was the staff member assisting students who found themselves in a crisis while studying in Cabell.

How has your education and experience at VCU prepared you for this new team?

I commend VCU’s School of Social Work for preparing me for this career. Before graduating with my BSW, I completed two internships that prepared me for working in the field of mental health. Empathy is a superpower that I learned from many professors' constructive feedback and shared experiences. Working at Cabell for 15 years, I saw many students in crisis and assisted them. In my new role, VCU Police gave me even more tools to assist those in need, such as crisis intervention training.     

What is most rewarding about being a safety ambassador?

Seeing the excitement in the VCU community when they hear that we are an unarmed, alternate response unit is rewarding. Many students and staff have expressed the need for an alternative response team other than police to help those in need of mental health services.

On the Monroe Park Campus, I found myself in a situation helping a student in a mental health crisis. I walked with the student to University Student Counseling to get them services. The next day, the student contacted me and was very appreciative! Seeing the “glow” on the student’s face was the best part.

What has kept you motivated to study, work and stay at VCU?

The diversity at VCU is phenomenal, and the VCU community is family. I often say working at VCU feels like I never left college. VCU is always offering lectures and workshops to help community members to continue their education beyond graduation. Many of the workshops are based on research being conducted in the VCU community. VCU has a very intelligent and creative student body that continues to inspire me every day.  

What are you looking forward to in this role?

I look forward to interacting with the VCU community and making everyone feel welcome at VCU. Oftentimes, attending university is a student's first time away from home, and it can be stressful. In the past, an armed officer would be called to certain situations, which could heighten the situation at times. I hope VCU community members would be more inclined to reach out for help now, knowing that a gentler approach is available. In the future, I hope to see other universities adapting safety ambassador teams.

If you had to choose an “un” word to describe yourself, what would it be and why?

Unflappable reflects my calm nature in any given moment. As a safety ambassador, we are faced with high-stress situations, and being calm is vital to the calls we may receive.

More information on the VCU Police Department’s safety ambassador team is available online: https://police.vcu.edu/services/safety-ambassadors/.