Friday, March 27, 2020

Part of a regular series.

Throughout the year, GNACsports.com uses this space to profile conference student-athletes who are members of their respective institutions’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition to providing feedback on the student-athlete experience, conference and institutional SAAC members also offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

Name: Reynauld Green
Sport: Football
Institution: Central Washington University
Year: Senior
Major: Digital Journalism
Hometown: Vancouver, Washington

Why Did You Choose To Attend Central Washington?: I chose to attend Central Washington because it’s close to home and gave me the best opportunity to study what I wanted to study while playing the sport that I love to play.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken And Why?: My favorite class that I have taken was Introduction to Human Communication because a lot of the things we learned were easy to apply in real life.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her?: My favorite professor is Tobias Stabb. He genuinely wants to see every student succeed and makes potentially boring classes very interesting. I can tell that he puts in the time and effort to perfect his courses so that students get the most out of them.

Years Involved In SAAC: One year.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: I chose to get involved in SAAC because I wanted to try something different in order to go places in life that I've never been to before. Being a leader has always come naturally to me. After a few quarters at Central Washington, I finally fit into that leadership role. I plan on spreading this attitude to our entire football team because we are only as good as our weakest links. If we don't have any weak links then our team could have a chance at winning a championship.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You In Life After You Graduate?: Participating in SAAC allows me to step outside of my comfort zone because I tend to be a “cool guy.” The cool guy in me sometimes only cares about himself and not so much the team. Life is a team game and I can’t get through it alone. If I am able to combine my leadership skills and my people skills well, I will be able to excel at anything I put my mind to.

What Does It Mean To You To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: Being a Division II student-athlete means that I have the same workload as a Division I athlete with school and sports. It also means that I’m an underdog. Being an underdog gives me the motivation that I need to work harder than I ever have before because the odds are already against me. I want to control the things that I can control like my effort and attitude. I pride myself on being the best worker and having the best attitude.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned About Balancing Athletics And Academics?: The most important thing that I have learned is time management. You can't be drowning in homework when it comes to the end of the quarter. You must have balance in your life. Balancing your faith, family and academics is the most important thing to do when you're an athlete. It takes time to learn how to balance your priorities.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Your Collegiate Career: The biggest obstacle I have overcome during my collegiate career is injuries. Injuries are unpredictable. Once you accept that and focus on getting better, you have a sense of peace. When I broke my leg, it felt like football was done for me but I persevered. I couldn't let myself down because I worked too hard to just give up after one obstacle.

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: My most memorable sports-related moment was when I stepped up during an away game at Western Oregon and helped the team win after our starting running back got hurt in the first quarter.

If You Could Change One NCAA Rule, It Would Be: I would change the rule about boosters helping student-athletes. There are so many restrictions on what they can and can't do. I believe boosters are a blessing to any program that has them and they should be able to bless the program in any way that they please.

Current Mentor(s): My grandfather, Carl Green.

Best Advice You’d Give To An Incoming Freshman: Choose your friends wisely. You become who you hang out with. Practice good habits, never stop growing and take academics more seriously than you do with sports because one day, sports have to come to an end.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why)?: I would spend the day with Martin Luther King, Jr., to see what he had planned for the future and how I could help the community in a similar light.

Extracurricular Activities: Basketball, video games, poetry and reading.

Future Goals After Graduation: I plan to get a master’s degree in communication and a doctorate in communication and psychology. I want to be a mental health coach and counselor. I believe that I have a lot to offer young men and women in sports who need help with developing healthy mental habits.

Favorite Sports Teams: Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers.

Favorite Athlete: Walter Payton.

One Thing People Don’t Know About Me Is: I'm also Korean and my roots are from North Korea.