More than a mentor: Rikishi Smith-Rey’s commitment to student connection

By Grace O’Donnell

Rikishi T. Smith-Rey, Ph.D., known as Dr. Rey by her students and Kishi by her friends, received the inaugural GRIT award for Student Engagement in the Sports Sciences at the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute’s first annual RECESS Symposium this October. She was rewarded for her efforts in building and sustaining relationships with students past and present, showcasing her commitment to developing the next generation.

Originally hailing from Southern California, Smith-Rey’s research is what brought her to the Upstate where she currently teaches advanced sport communication courses in the Department of Communication at Clemson. While in the midst of her Ph.D. work examining interpersonal athlete communication at Chapman University, Clemson reached out and asked if she would be willing to go transcoastal to bring her scholarship to a premier research institution, and the rest is history.

Her compassion for student-athletes can be broken down into two parts: students and athletes. As a former Division I soccer player, she understands all too well the mental strain which collegiate athletes face day in and day out. Her mission is to alleviate some of these struggles by making information more readily accessible and understandable for those not in the world of academia. 

Currently, she is working alongside one of her advisees, Marissa Bennett, and the Clemson Football team to develop a new metric for injury reporting. “My personal research looks at what types of communication are the most effective for ensuring that athletes report injuries, concussions and discuss their mental health,” said Smith-Rey. “With the football team, we have basically implemented a new way to engage with football players regarding how they are feeling sore and are now able to more effectively assist in pre-injury recovery.”

Although her work is undoubtedly important, Smith-Rey’s pride and joy lay elsewhere.

I love what I research with all my heart, but the day I retire I want to be remembered not for my research, but for the relationships I’ve built with my students. To receive an award that focuses on that tells me I’m on the right track.

Rikishi T. Smith-Rey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

“Dr. Rey has been one of my favorite professors at Clemson because of how much she cares for her students. She has personally helped me so much with her endless support and compassion,” said senior sports communication student Anne Marie Lessig, who has had class with Smith-Rey for multiple years. “Dr. Rey genuinely wants to help every student and has given me opportunities outside of Clemson — I am so grateful to have had her as a professor.”

The mantra which defines Smith-Rey’s teaching practice is: “I care a lot about you as my student, but even more about you as a person.” This started when she coached youth soccer back on the west coast, where she watched her players grow from 10 to 16 years old. 

“That just translated into the classrooms,” she said. “I care about my students so much and I love what I teach and getting to see it in real life. I’m not going to ask someone, ‘do you remember that one theory I taught you ten years ago?’ I’m going to ask ‘how are you doing, what’s going on in your life?’

There are so many facets to individuals, and if you only focus on the student part you lose the other aspects of them that they can bring to the class.

Rikishi T. Smith-Rey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

Smith-Rey knows every single one of her students’ names and makes a concerted effort to learn about their personal lives. “Having that interpersonal connection makes them care a bit more and having them know that I genuinely care about them is so important. The more comfortable they are, the more confident they are.

“I always say, there is no wrong answer to a question. Get it wrong, and let’s talk about it and figure out how to get to the right answer. I don’t expect you to already know everything, that’s what I’m here for. Learning and knowing are very different things.”

Within her realm of sports communication, keeping students engaged means keeping them interested. By bringing in guest speakers — most notably head coach Dabo Swinney last month —  she proves that she cares about students’ interests. 

“Really, it comes down to understanding that students are going to take away 20 percent of what you teach them, but 80 percent of how you made them feel or supported them,” she said. “It’s a fun challenge for me to see in what ways I can help my students like learning.” 

This mindset dates back to her days on the pitch. “It’s something my Grandpa taught me — you’re gonna remember how you felt about the season, not how the season went, so make it something you want to remember. I try to do the same for my students.”

Moving forward, Smith-Rey plans to launch her company, Sport PhD, this winter. Her objective is to make academic writing more digestible for student-athletes who often find themselves overwhelmed with the volume of information they must take in to stay healthy. She compiles research on anything ranging from the biometrics of sleep cycles to getting recruited by the right school and makes it usable for athletes to enhance their performance.

“No one is going to Google Scholar for their research when they have a performance question, and I know that. Let me do it for you because I can understand the information and provide you with what’s most relevant,” she said.

“Being able to help them is such a wonderful journey.”