MOSCOW — Very little about Martha Smith’s background would be considered “typical,” but that’s just the way she likes it.

For example, the University of Idaho senior comes from a family of circus performers, became a real estate agent in high school, and is now the student government president at the UI.

Smith hails from the small town of Kooskia. Her family moved there to help her grandparents run the nearby Three Rivers Resort. Before that, Smith said her parents were traveling around the country and the world performing as clowns in the Ringling Bros. circus.

Both parents attended clown college in Florida, and Smith’s father also taught there. Smith said her parents made it through the intense, competitive program and were offered contracts with the Ringling Bros. To this day, her parents, uncle and Smith’s little sister still occasionally perform in China and Japan as clowns.

“It’s a really fun part of my life,” Smith said.

Smith began forging her own career when she was in high school. After her basketball coach hired her to work in the office Idaho Country Properties, she fell in love with the prospect of selling homes.

At age 18, Smith earned a waiver that allowed her to attain a real estate license before graduating high school. Despite her young age, she earned the trust of her clients. According to Smith, she sold $2 million in real estate before attending college, and $1.5 million since.

“It pushed me out of my comfort zone professionally more than anything I could have ever imagined,” Smith said. “I loved it. It was the coolest thing ever.”

Smith said the career appealed to her because she enjoys solving problems and making her clients happy.

She was so successful, the valedictorian questioned whether she should pursue her real estate career instead of attending college.

These thoughts lingered with her during her freshman year at the UI when Smith became frustrated doing her college math homework, for example.

“But I’m really glad I stayed,” she said.

Smith said her journey in student government is one of the reasons she is happy to be a Vandal. She joined Associated Students of the UI as a freshman and is now ASUI president her senior year.

“I just really love being a part of something bigger than just me,” she said.

Her goals as ASUI president include making the campus safer and improving transparency in student government. Smith said she writes articles for the student newspaper, The Argonaut, explaining what student fees are being used for.

Smith also ran for president to show that ASUI presidents don’t always have to be wealthy students from Boise.

“I don’t come from that background,” she said. “I thought that was a really important thing.”

Smith told her grandfather, an avid UI fan, she was running for ASUI president during one of the last conversations she had with him before he died, she said.

He did not live long enough to see her elected, but his presence was still felt. Smith said that just before she found out the results of the election, the music playlist she was listening to played their favorite song: Van Morrsion’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”

Smith said she plans to attend law school after graduation. No longer questioning her decision to become a Vandal, Smith said the UI has been “sunshine and rainbows” for her.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.