Friday, July 1, 2016

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. Click here for more information on the function of SAAC at the NCAA level.

Name: Lauren Swistak
Sport: Swimming
School: Simon Fraser
Year: Junior
Major: Criminology
Hometown: Port Moody, B.C.

Extracurricular activities: SAAC, learning coach, spending time with friends and family, hiking, journaliing and playing with my pets.

Why did you choose to attend Simon Fraser?: I wanted to attend SFU because it’s an excellent and prestigious school. It’s also close to home and with coaches I have known since I was 12. I have developed relationships with both Coach Liam (Donnelly) and Cory (Beatt), so I knew that I could trust them and the program.

What is your favorite class you have taken in college and why?: Psychological Explanations of Criminal and Deviant Behavior. It was extremely interesting and confirmed my interest in pursuing my criminology major.

Who is your favorite professor you've had in college and what did you enjoy about learning from him or her? Simon Verdun-Jones is one of many professors I have enjoyed in university. I enjoyed the class first and foremost, but I also loved the passion he emitted in lectures.

Years involved in SAAC: Two. 

The reason I chose to get involved in SAAC: I wanted to get involved and give back to the SFU community.

Most memorable SAAC activity: Running bake sales with teammates.

What is the most important thing you've learned from balancing the demands of athletics and academics?: Time management is key.

What does it mean to be a Division II student-athlete?: You are part of something bigger than yourself.

Future goals after school: Finding a job I love and look forward to everyday.

Biggest obstacle overcame during collegiate career: Dealing with a plateau season.

Best advice I’d give to an incoming freshman: For swimming: Have fun and don’t get to nervous. Go to all the practices and mid-season can get tough but push through the hard training. For school: Be organized. If that means getting a yoga kitten planner, so be it. Also, it is okay to ask for help, talk to teammates, teaching assistants and professors.

Favorite sports team: Vancouver Whitecaps

Favorite athlete: Lolo Jones. She is the definition of perseverance; she is a hard worker and is her own person.

Most memorable sports-related moment: Getting my first senior national time in prelims.