Darren Smith is originally from the small town of Shady Side, MD. He graduated from Howard University in Washington, DC in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. He then attended University of Connecticut, where he graduated with his master's in Policy Practice Social Work in 2013.

Darren currently works as a Performance Monitor for DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in Washington DC. Darren's role focuses mainly on contract compliance, quality assurance, and ensuring that foster parents and service providers throughout the District of Columbia are consistently adhering to the required licensing and clearance regulations set forth by the city.

In his free time, Darren enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, watching documentaries, and traveling.

Interesting Fact: From 2016-2018, Darren proudly accomplished a bucket list goal of visiting all 7 Wonders of the New World (Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Petra, Taj Mahal, The Great Wall, The Colosseum)

His new memoir 30 For 30: The Writings Behind the Wall, a collection of journal entries detailing his brief time spent incarcerated in 2019, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and EBook platforms.