Photo courtesy of Lauren Reid
Pepperdine Athletics’ Academic Coordinator Lauren Reid came to the Waves community to help foster a positive experience for student athletes. Reid’s experiences as a track athlete equipped her with the necessary tools to understand the struggles athletes experience balancing their dual of both student and athlete.
Reid holds the school records at University of California Riverside for the triple and long jump, qualifying for NCAA West Regionals in 2008 and 2009.
As the Academic Coordinator, Reid may not be known widely among students, but she is a key player in the success of the athlete community.
She assists with course and major selections, supervised study time, exam proctoring, coordinating tutors, and checking in with the athletes on an academic and personal level.
Q: What is your favorite part of the job?
A: Definitely working with the students on a daily basis and helping and getting to know the students and seeing their successes and helping them get through tough times in school, I’d say.
Q: How did you come to Pepperdine?
A: Before Pepperdine I worked at UCLA. I was a student athlete myself, went to grad school to work in athletics, I got an internship at UCLA to work in athletics and then from there I applied to Pepperdine, and here I am. Sunny Malibu!
Q: Tell us about your college experience?
A: My college experience was very similar to the athletes here, since I was a student athlete, too. I was a track athlete. It was positive, it was good, but part of the reason why I wanted to work in this field was because I wanted to contribute to the experience because it is such a unique and positive experience, for most. I just wanted to help facilitate that similar experience and just give back to students. I think that there’s so many parts of it that seem hard but I just want to help students figure out those pieces and achieve their long term goals through this experience.
Q: What do you like to do outside the office?
A: I really like working out; it’s probably my favorite thing. I do a lot of circuit training, I still run, I work out with the strength coaches sometimes … I think the track background helps. I like just hanging out with friends and family. I like spending quality times with the loved ones.
Q: What’s the hardest part of your job?
A: Probably just balancing many personalities, and I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but it’s just something to be very cognizant of because everybody is different. Everybody deserves to be heard and treated as such. I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but it’s just something to be very aware of at all times.
Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete and why?
A: Allyson Felix (a five-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA) because I grew up watching her. We were in high school at the same time, so I saw her emerge as a Southern California athlete, and, now she’s professional so its cool to see her on TV and watch her from when she was 17 years old to what she is today. She’s very impressive, and I know she has an awesome family background, so she’s a wholesome person, good influence on people.
Q: What are three words you’d use to describe yourself and why?
A: I would say positive, determined and lighthearted. I like to keep things a little lighter, make people laugh here and there.
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Follow Stasia Demick on Twitter: @sdemick12
