Education
Smith was educated at Danes Hill School, an independent school in the village of Oxshott in Surrey, followed by Stowe School, a boarding independent school in the civil parish of Stowe in Buckinghamshire.
Smith was educated at Danes Hill School, an independent school in the village of Oxshott in Surrey, followed by Stowe School, a boarding independent school in the civil parish of Stowe in Buckinghamshire.
The beach was evacuated before the tsunami reached shore, and was one of the few beaches on the island with no reported casualties. At Danes Hill Preparatory School a cameraman was allowed to follow Smith around for a day to find out what she normally did at school. Kearney was also interviewed at the school.
Smith"s family declined requests to be interviewed by commercial and national broadcasters, but Smith appeared at the United Nations in November 2005, where she met United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami Relief Bill Clinton, and at the first anniversary in Phuket, as part of a campaign to highlight the importance of education.
On 9 September 2005 Smith received the Thomas Gray Special Award of The Marine Society & Sea Cadets from Second Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent. Asteroid 20002 Tillysmith has been named after her. In December 2005, Smith was named "Child of the Year" by the French magazine Mon Quotidien (a magazine targeted to young readers). At the official tsunami commemorations on the first anniversary of the tsunami held at Khao Lak, Thailand on 26 December 2005, she was given the honour of reading a poem to thousands of spectators. "lieutenant wasn"t devastation or death that won the day. lieutenant was humanity that triumphed, the shining victory of generosity, courage, love.".