Friday, October 8, 2021

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: Lauren Odette
Sport: Women’s Rugby
Institution: Central Washington
Year: Senior
Major: Business Administration with specialization in Leadership and Management
Hometown: Eastvale, Calif.

Why Did You Choose To Attend CWU?: I felt very welcomed and loved the team culture. The campus is beautiful and the academics were what I was looking for.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor?: Torrance Blaisdell. He opened my limited knowledge to fine arts and challenged the ideas I had about this field. I never knew how beautiful things like opera and musical theater could be until I took a class with him. I also appreciate different genres of music more than I ever have and can connect them to different cultures and time periods.

How Many Years Have You Been Involved In SAAC?: Four.

Why Did You Choose To Get Involved With SAAC?: I love being involved and wanted the chance to have a voice in my program off the field. SAAC has been a great learning experience and has given me many tools to use in the real world.

What Has Been The Most Memorable SAAC Activity?: We started a SAAC kickball event at Central that has now become an annual event that we run.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You After You Graduate?: I can juggle multiple activities and feel more confident speaking to my peers. It has allowed me to become comfortable running meetings, which will be very useful in job settings.

What Is The Biggest Obstacle You Have Overcome During Your Collegiate Career?: Learning how to be more than a player but also a teammate, and growing into my role as a leader on my team.

What Does It Mean To You To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: It means carving the path for future student-athletes and leaving a legacy I am proud of.

Who Is Your Current Mentor?: Dr. Bill Provaznik, the business department chair, and (former CWU assistant coach) Cassidy Meyers, who is a coaching mentor.

What Are Your Future Goals After Graduating?: I want to use the skills and knowledge that I learned in school and as an athlete and apply them to my career. I hope to be a leader and charismatic co-worker in my future jobs.

What Advice Would You Have For An Incoming Freshman?: Don't be scared to put yourself out there. There are so many opportunities to make friends and learn different things.

What’s Your Favorite Thing About Being Part Of The GNAC?: The opportunity to meet people from all the different schools in the conference.

What’s Your Favorite Sports Memory?: Beating Life University in 2021 to earn the higher seed in the semifinals. It was a big step for the rugby program.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person, Who Would It Be?: Stephen Covey, the author of "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." I think it would be interesting to hear his perspective on life and see if he would change anything about his books now.

Favorite Sports Team: USA Women's Rugby Team

Favorite Athlete: (New Zealand All-Blacks rugby star) Beauden Barrett

Extracurricular Activities: I’m the SAAC President for CWU and the ASCWU Athletic Representative.

What’s Something People Don’t Know About You?: I can’t whistle.