THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September, 9, 1994 TAG: 9409080036
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
This summer over 150 high school seniors applied for the job of Teenology advice columnist. Traci Hill and Doran Ricks, last year's columnists, spent hours interviewing the 10 finalists. When it was all over, Smitha Gottimukkala and Jonathan Kolm were chosen.
ALTHOUGH UNFAMILIAR teachers, administrators and other strangers have problems pronouncing her seven-syllable name, 17-year-old Smitha Gottimukkala couldn't be happier with it.
After all, it's all in a name.
Smitha, whose first name means ``smile'' in Teugu, a dialect of India, has had plenty to grin about lately. Besides dividing her summer between candy-striping at Sentara Bayside Hospital and touring six countries in Europe, this Norfolk Academy senior was recently chosen to take on the problems of her peers as one of Teenology's new advice columnists.
``It just seemed perfect for me,'' said Smitha, a native of Andhra Pradesh, India, who now lives in Virginia Beach. ``It combines the two things I care most about - people and writing.''
Although she is embarrassed about her wannabe days, Smitha still has the teen advice columnist help-wanted ad her mother cut out last summer pinned on the refrigerator.
Since she was a junior last year and too young to apply for the position, Smitha tried out for a new peer counseling program at Norfolk Academy. She was chosen after writing an essay explaining why she would be good for the job.
``I try to give advice that people will use,'' she said between sips of a watered-down Coke. ``It's easy to tell people what they should do, but they usually don't want to hear that.''
Smitha acquired her advice-giving skills to the role playing exercises and training that she received for peer counseling, as well as her daily dose of Ann Landers.
``I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes,'' she said. ``A lot of times, they just need someone to listen.''
Smitha was one of about 150 teens who applied for the position. And even though she's a near pro at it now, there have been times when Smitha could have used some advice herself. One of those days was in third grade when she defended a girl who was being picked on.
``I used to always stick up for people,'' she said of her elementary school days in Michigan. ``If a person treated another person badly, I got really worked up.''
Instead of seeking advice from a teacher, Smitha took the problem into her own tiny hands and rode the bus to the bully's house for a ``shoving match and a race,'' she recalled, laughing.
Although she claimed she doesn't get mad easily these days, close-minded and elitist attitudes work her nerves. Human rights issues, such as capital punishment, are another way to fire up this ``completely liberal'' teen. ``I get really emotional over things,'' she said.
But since she's grown out of shoving and sprints, her releases come in different forms. Whether it's shouting as captain of the cheerleading squad, dipping Doritos in ketchup or experimenting with watercolors, Smitha manages to stay cheerful and uphold the meaning of her name.
``My dad wants to put `SMILE' on my license plate. I always thought those things were kind of cheesy,'' she said, rolling her eyes. ``But hey, I'm young - so why not?'' MEMO: Holly Wester is a sophomore at Virginia Wesleyan College.
ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by Mort Fryman
Smitha Gottimukkala
by CNB