Downtown Ambassador: Rashawn Smith

Every day, Downtown Tucson Partnership ambassadors are out on downtown streets helping keep the district clean, safe, welcoming and connected. Clean Ambassadors tackle everything from litter, graffiti and sidewalk cleaning to beautification and maintenance, but their role often goes far beyond the tasks on their daily list. As Certified Tourism Ambassadors, they also provide directions, answer questions, assist businesses and residents, and serve as a familiar, friendly presence for the people they encounter downtown.

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Meet Rashawn Smith, Downtown Tucson Partnership Ambassador

South-side Tucson native Rashawn Smith has spent the last decade working downtown. He can name all four courts without pausing and explain how to get to them from anywhere in the area. Of course, his general work tends to be the unglamorous, like helping change a resident's flat tire or sweeping up outside downtown businesses. What keeps him enjoying his job? The range of people he talks to every day.

Q: Are you from Tucson?

A: I'm born and raised in Tucson, on the south side, south of Valencia. I went to Desert View High School as well as Sunnyside High School.

Q: How long have you been here downtown?

A: I've been here going on, I believe, 10 years. It's been good here.

Q: What's the first thing you notice when you start working downtown?

A: All of the joggers and the dog walkers, because they're trying to beat the heat.

Q: What's your favorite block to walk, and why?

A: It's not one particular favorite block, because each block pretty much offers something new and different every day. But if I had to choose, I'd say Congress, just because of the different smells of the restaurants.

Q: What moment with a downtown business owner, resident or fellow ambassador has been meaningful to you?

A: I've had plenty. One that comes to mind is when one of the residents had a flat tire and I was able to help them because they had no clue how to put a tire on or how to use the jack. Just seeing how happy they were to actually have help. And with the business owners, helping clean around their business. They're most definitely appreciative of that.

Q: What's the most common way you end up helping someone? Directions, information, or just being a friendly face?

A: Pretty much all of them, but the most common is directions, because they're always looking for the courthouses or somewhere good to have lunch or breakfast.

Q: What's your favorite thing in downtown Tucson?

A: Just the interactions with all walks of life, because I'm always having conversations with everyone downtown. It's interesting, just how many different people there are here.

Q: Anything you'd like the world to know?

A: Downtown Tucson is like a city of its own, basically. It's a nice little community. I like it a lot. It makes work a lot easier.