Trey Smith is not afraid to try something new.

Raised in west county and a graduate of small elementary and middle schools, Smith said he decided to transfer to Montgomery – his mom’s alma mater — for high school.

He was struck by what he called the “upper middle class structure. I was exposed to a ton.”

Experiencing different types of people “kind of made me who I am,” he said.

Smith played basketball and football his freshman year, but dropped basketball to concentrate of football after that. Remarkably, Smith picked up swimming his senior year in addition to football.

“The first two weeks were the hardest,” he said of taking on swimming for the Vikings. “I just kept telling myself, ‘I’ll get better.’”

It’s a work ethic and penchant for trying new things that led Smith to Montgomery four years ago and what will lead him through studies and exploration at Santa Rosa Junior College in the fall.

 “I’m interested in business,” he said, noting that as a kid he was able to take things apart and put them back together with ease.

Right now he’s concentrating on graduating and celebrating his journey.

 “I’m finally going to be done with high school,” he said. “I feel like I got a lot out of it.”