An interview with Molly Weeks

We’re a little more than a month into lockdown mode as the pandemic continues its tortuous path through out society. It has profoundly affected every area of our lives, including our work lives. Some folks – including friends of mine – simply cannot work and/or have lost significant revenue sources. It’s a truly terrible byproduct of truly terrible circumstances. Others have been fortunate enough to “work from home,” which while disruptive in terms of routine is not disruptive – at least not yet -- in terms of income. And then there are some jobs and some industries – whether it be working from home or not – where the workload is busier than ever. Such is the case with today’s Pandemic Papers interviewee, former sprint team captain and school record holder Molly Weeks (Class of 2017).

But here’s the thing: Busy suits Molly quite well. When she was at Marist, she kept busy with two on-campus jobs and with internships, along with her dedication to our sport. And my recollection of it all was with a smile on her face! I didn’t know (or, more likely, didn’t remember!) until her answer to the very first question below, that Marist was Molly’s last choice in colleges! Well, file that into the “better late than never” category. Life has a way of sorting itself out. I strongly believe that many students find their way to where they belong. And there is no place else Molly Weeks belonged, and belongs, then at Marist College, where her name still remains on two school records. Here are some Quarantine Questions today for Molly Weeks.

How did you become interested in Marist and how did you choose Marist over other schools?

Believe it or not, Marist was actually the very last school I looked at! I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am that my Mom “strongly encouraged” me (aka showed up after school one day and gave me no option but to get in the car) to visit. At this point in time, the fatigue from visiting schools set in and my frustration was high; I felt defeated because I wasn’t thrilled with any of the schools I toured. As soon as I stepped onto the Marist campus, I knew I had to go there! On my way home, I went on the website and found the Track and Field athlete questionnaire, filled it out, submitted it, and was in contact with Coach Pete and Chuck in no time!

You had a major injury in high school (rod in your leg!). How were you able to overcome that and maintain a high quality of athleticism in both high school and college?

Unfortunately, during my sophomore season of cross country, I let my shin splints turn into a stress fracture and continued to run until I couldn’t walk. My options were to either get a titanium rod in my left tibia to stabilize it, or quit sports; OBVIOUSLY this was a no brainer, ha! It was definitely a difficult time, but the lessons I learned from this injury are ones that I will certainly carry with me through the rest of my life: 1. Listen to your body. Running/playing through an injury is not a way to “prove your mental/physical strength” to yourself, your teammates, or your coaches. Before you know it, you’ll be out for the whole season and lose the opportunity to establish yourself as an athlete. Period. 2. Be patient. Do not rush rehab, allow your body the time it needs to heal. The more you rush, the longer you’ll be out of commission. 3. Stay motivated. That is much easier said than done. However, if you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll be headed in the right direction!

As a sprinter, was our lack of on-campus track facilities an issue in considering the school? How were you and your teammates able to manage that situation?

When looking at schools, though I knew I wanted to be a student-athlete, learning about what a school had to offer from an educational standpoint was always a primary focus. My parents instilled in me from a young age that I was always a student first. The educational benefits, prestigious academic reputation and opportunities that Marist had to offer, PAIRED with the amazing coach staff and team camaraderie, made the lack of a track something I was willing to work with.

The beauty of running is that it can pretty much be done anywhere, at any time; you just need your sneaks! The team certainly made do with what we had: parking lots, grass fields, hill repeats (so, so many hill repeats) and the local schools allowing us to use their track facilities. Though having a track would have been incredible, we showed our dedication and “creativity” with our training. The character we built and the pride we established from succeeding with less, is an achievement we will all take with us! I’d take the W on character/pride over facilities ANY day; facilities come and go, but your character stays with you for life!

Talk about your time as an athlete at Marist. What are some of your fondest memories?

I can tell you that 5:45 a.m. lift definitely does not make the cut here, haha. My time as an athlete at Marist as a whole, is one wonderful memory. However, I take great pride in being named captain for both my junior and senior year. To know that the coaches and team had faith in me to lead and to make a difference, was an honor that I will forever cherish.

You and your teammates formed a particularly close bond with Coach Horton. Talk about that and his impact on our program!

I feel like from day one, Coach Terry and I had an awesome relationship! Big shout out to Terry for dealing with my shenanigans for 4 years. Terry helped establish a very welcoming environment where it was easy to be yourself. There were a wide variety of personalities on our team, and Terry embraced each and every one. He always provided a sense of comfort and was incredibly reliable. Whether it was his words of encouragement or helpful critiques, we were always in his best interest and that is something I never questioned!

You were a record-setting sprinter in your time at Marist and contributed so much to our program. Are you still active athletically and if so, what are you doing to keep fit and strong? Are you still considering the marathon?

I am still incredibly active! After being an athlete 24/7, 365 from the age of 5, I think it is simply instilled in my being. However, going from 100 mph to 0 mph once graduation came around, I had no idea what I was going to do. I ALWAYS had a practice or game to be at; the competitive drive to #bebetter than my competitors had a nice comfy home in the back of my head at all times. Who was I going to compete against once I was done with organized sports? I needed something to work towards!

I gained entry for the 2018 NYC Marathon through raising money for the National MS Society. Training was going great up until I found myself with a hip stress fracture about a month from the race. Unfortunately, it was too painful for me to even walk on and I was devastated that I would not be able to put all that hard work to the test. Coach Terry couldn’t even get me to do 800m to warm up, but there I was going on 18-mile training runs. Funny how things work, hah! However, I took my own advice that I learned from my injury in high school and made sure I was patient with the healing process. I am hoping to train for the next NYC Marathon (possibly 2020?). In the meantime, I do weekly workouts with an awesome workout group led by my strength and conditioning coach from high school (who is also Coach Pete)! We do a bunch of strength training, which is awesome!

Talk about your time as student at Marist. What was your major and how did it prepare you for your future in the working world?

I came into Marist undecided and graduated as a Communications major with concentrations in both Advertising and PR. My educational experience at Marist was incredible. With the class sizes being smaller, I was able to form relationships with my professors and get the individual attention I needed to succeed. It most definitely prepared me for my future in the real world. For each job interview, whether it was over the phone or in person, I had more than enough to talk about, which helped me prove why I deserved the job I was interviewing for. The work we were asked to do in the classroom was not just to keep us busy, but work that was of significance! It was work that could be utilized in portfolios or interview conversation. The lessons I learned allowed me to showcase my capabilities and provide direct examples as to why I would be deserving of a job.

I have to say that one of the most helpful skills that I learned from my college experience, which I am so incredibly grateful for today, is time management. Being a student-athlete is no easy task; you have to be 100 percent dedicated to two separate aspects of your life, at all times. Granted you are always a student first, your sport and your team are just as important. I also was fortunate enough to have two jobs on campus (shout out to Student Financial Services and Event Staff!) but that also had to be factored into my equation to try and balance. Student, track, work, social life, sleep. It was tough at first, but it became normal before I knew it. By the end of my freshman year, it was the new normal. By senior year, I decided, why not add to the craziness? I had internships in NYC for both the fall and spring semester. I had learned so much of time management in my previous three years of school, I was ready to throw in one more thing to balance out. Student, track, work, social life, sleep, internships. Looking back, I’m not really sure how all of that got done, but it did, and I am certainly better for it. I’ve said it many times in the past but this current phase of my life is most definitely the easiest thus far and I can thank my college schedule for forcing me to learn how to juggle and not drop the ball.

Talk about your current career and your future career aspirations. How did you get this job, what and where are you doing it and where do you see yourself going with it?

I currently work under Sony Music Entertainment, for a distribution agency called The Orchard in NYC. This agency helps artists distribute their music, globally, through marketing, sales, radio, publicity, advertising etc. My job specifically is in digital marketing; I work to help establish creative strategic marketing plans to enhance the overall consumption of our artists’ music. A lot of my job is focusing on social media and alternate platforms that we utilize to run campaigns.

I interned within the music industry while in college, and establishing the relationships/connections with my supervisors most definitely facilitated the interview process.

I wish I could tell you what my future plans are, but I’m really not sure! I know that opportunity can come forth at any time, and therefore I just keep an open mind and take it week by week. I prefer to focus on the “here & now” until I HAVE to establish a future plan. But I’ve made it this far, so I guess my system is doing just fine!

Let's talk about the Coronavirus pandemic. Clearly, this is affecting all areas of everyone’s life. Like most of us, I’m assuming you are working remotely. How has your job changed and how are you managing with these changes?

I have been working from home for just about a month now, and I think it is safe to say that I might be the busiest I have ever been. Our artists are still creating and releasing music; so long as that continues, my to-do list will most certainly continue to grow. Being in digital marketing, this is our time to shine. Right now, everyone is relying on digital platforms for entertainment and to engage with their family and friends. This also means that artists are relying on this to engage with their fans and to showcase their music. Tour dates have been cancelled. Office visits/publicity interviews have been cancelled. There is nothing artists can do to showcase their music and personality in person, which leaves it all to the digital world. It had been an endless stream of brainstorming and establishing concepts that could be utilized to hit the appropriate audiences. Essentially, the goal is to encourage fans to listen and engage. We most definitely have had to shift our mindset and alter our perspective on the industry in order to adjust to the current state of our world.

With living in Connecticut and working in NYC, working from home means no commute for me; to put it in perspective, I now have an extra five hours a day! In all honestly, this has been a major beneficial lifestyle change. I now have time to work out at a reasonable hour (instead of a 4:45 a.m. alarm), I most definitely get more sleep, and I am even home to eat dinner with my family. Not to mention saving a ton of money with not having to purchase a monthly Metro-North pass! Though this is certainly a selfish perspective considering what is happening in our world right now, I would gladly trade in my work-from-home lifestyle if it meant that everything would go back to normal.

How are you and your family coping with the crisis?

My family is very adamant about following the rules of quarantine and social distancing. We are incredibly careful and managing well. Now that it has been a couple of weeks, we have established a routine and have a better understanding of the space that is necessary for each of us to stay sane!

What message would you give to our current seniors who lost their final outdoor track season and final few months of their senior year?

My first thought is that I couldn’t even imagine the disappointment. Whatever you all are feeling, you’re allowed to be upset. Talk it out and do what you need to do to eventually come to terms with it. As I’m sure you all already are, be grateful for the time you had. I know you won’t get your last season, but the bonds and relationships you’ve established with your teammates and coaches are not going anywhere, so long as you put in the effort to uphold them. Keep your head up and use this to motivate you to do something great once this is all over. Find something to work towards, just as you would your final season, complete it and earn yourself a sense of additional pride. Maybe even form a group within your local area for all of the senior collegiate trackies that are deprived of their last season. Once quarantine is over, host meets or runs or whatever it may be that brings you joy, as well as a sense of closure. Who knows, this could be an established group that continues on longer than you initially anticipated!

What advice would you give to current team members and/or prospective student-athletes considering Marist?

To the current team members, Marist is a home. It’s a foundation that you created for yourself. For a lot of you, it is one of the first environments you established completely by yourself. YOU established your college experience. YOU established your friends. YOU established the path for your future. Be proud of yourselves for that.

To prospective student-athletes, the coaches you have come across here at Marist are unbeatable. You’re not just an athlete to them. You’re oh SO much more. And before you know it (once you commit to Marist because that’s obviously the correct decision to make), you’re not going to even know what you would do without them. Friends you can find everywhere else, but family is what you’ll find at Marist.