Pandemic Papers: An interview with Lauren Adams (Class of 2018)

Virtual graduations were a “thing” in 2020, one of the bizarre but happy byproducts of the pandemic. As unique as they were, here’s hoping for more traditional commencements in 2021 and beyond. When Lauren Adams (Class of 2018) earned her masters degree this summer, the photos on social media were so cool to see and we were so proud of her. Lauren was a great citizen of our program and of our College. Lauren was so involved in so many areas of campus during her four years at Marist; she truly left a mark. By the end of it, though, she admits here in this Pandemic Papers interview that she had a little burnout, which led her to take some time off before starting grad school.

Being a sprinter at Marist has inherent drawbacks (spoiler alert: No track on campus!), but Lauren made the best of her time on the team and truly immersed herself in the experience. I love how she recounts her fond memories of practices and meets with “Uncle Terry,’’ coach Terry Horton in this interview. We’re so honored to have Terry on our staff, as he enters his seventh decade in the sport (yeah, that’s a long time). We sent these questions to Lauren in early January; she apologized for the lag time in responding. But really, there are no deadlines and we have several other interviews out there pending as well. We’ll still be here when the answers come in. Earlier this week, Lauren (along with fellow alum Alexia Santiago) participated in an alumni Zoom call as part of Black History Month. She spoke honestly and refreshingly about the challenges and rewards of being an athlete of color here at Marist. We are so proud of her career path so far, and we know she’ll do great things in the coming years as well. Thanks, Lauren, for being part of this series!

 

Take us back to high school and before that. What was your athletic background? What sports did you play growing up? When did you start running track and when did that become your primary sport? Tell us about your high school track career -- where did you go to high school, what were your events in track, highlights, etc.

Growing up I was involved in a number of sports. I dabbled in dance, softball, netball, volleyball, soccer, and cross country. The first year I ran track was in the 8^th grade. That’s when I fell in love and it became my primary sport. When I started attending Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, I continued with my track career and had a small stint on the wrestling team my junior year. I ran the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay. My favorite race by far was the 4x100m relay, followed closely by the 100m. I battled injuries throughout my time in high school, but still managed to PR most races, finishing .04 seconds behind the school record for the 100m and one place behind qualifying for state. It was a bittersweet way to end my high school experience but I took solace knowing I left everything I had on the track.

 

How did you become interested in Marist and what was your college search process like initially? As a sprinter, did our lack of facilities hamper your view of Marist?

When looking for colleges, I had a list of characteristics that I wanted in a school, but no one particular school that I had in mind. I wanted a school on the East Coast, preferably in a state I hadn’t spent much time in before, a small/medium size population, a school with a track team, a school with a religious affiliation, and a school that had my intended major at the time, athletic training. I talked about this list with my college counselor and she presented a list of schools that fit what I was looking for and Marist was on that list. I got in contact with the West Coast admissions representative and chatted with her about what Marist had to offer and I was sold! I never went to visit or had a shadow day, I just had this overwhelming, instinctual gut feeling that Marist was where I was meant to be.

 

Tell us about your time as a member of our track team! Again, as a sprinter, your group faces special challenges and obstacles. How were you able to manage that? What are some of your favorite highlights from that and/or things that were especially challenging for you? What are some of your favorite meet memories and teammate memories and Coach Terry memories?

I inquired about the track team when I arrived at Marist and consulted with a team member at that time, but ultimately made the decision not to run track my freshman year. I decided to walk on to the team my sophomore year, which was one of the best decisions I made at Marist. Running track at Marist definitely had its ups and downs for me. I suffered a number of injuries which limited my time to run during some seasons, but overall, I grew so much as a runner and a person. Despite Marist not having a track, I think Coach Terry or Uncle Terry as we called him, did a fantastic job of giving us creative and tough workouts to prepare us. It was also helpful to have a group of teammates that were encouraging and had fun during workouts, while still being able to hold a certain intensity about their training. What was really helpful to me was pushing myself during lift, doing abs every day, and pushing myself to run with the 400m runners when on longer runs to build my stamina. Having teammates to help keep my accountable to put my all into workouts was also so important for my preparation for meets. Some of my favorite memories include van rides to and from the Vassar Track, mealtimes after practices, and lifts with Coach Suma. I also really enjoyed cheering on my teammates and seeing them succeed at meets and being there to give hugs and congratulations at the finish line.

 

Most of my favorite Uncle Terry moments involve him putting up with the shenanigans from my teammates and me and giving unexpected sassy remarks to our jokes. I was always and am still so grateful for the care Uncle Terry so clearly had for us sprinters and the time and effort he invested into our success. My favorite race from my Marist track experience was my junior year in Virginia when I had to sub in for the 4x400m relay and ran the last leg. I passed another runner in the last 30 meters to secure 3^rd place overall. Having my teammates cheer me on and celebrate with me brought me a lot of happiness and is reflective of my time on the team.

 

What was your major at Marist and how did that prepare you for your post-Marist times? What are some of your academic highlights at Marist -- favorite classes, professors, things that you feel helped you the most?

At Marist, I started out as an Athletic Training major, but switched to Social Work with a minor in sociology. Marist has a really great Social Work program which did a fantastic job at creating a solid base for me as a social worker. My intern experience at Marist was great in preparing me for my grad school and professional career. Some of my favorite classes were my social work and sociology electives, Children’s Literature, and my two history courses on the African Diaspora. Some of my favorite professors were Dr. Isabel Rose, Dr. Justin Myers, and Dr. Michael Panzer.

 

Tell us about your post-graduate path, your completion of your masters degree this summer (yay!) and what you have been doing since graduation and are doing now?

My senior year at Marist, I found myself feeling extremely burnt out from the multitude of activities that I was involved in at Marist and the course work for my major which was equivalent to four years of undergraduate and one year of graduate school squeezed into four years. I applied to two social work Master’s programs, both of which I was accepted to and ultimately decided to attend Smith College School for Social Work, which is known for having one of the best clinical social work programs in the nation. I was really proud of myself for getting in but also could not ignore the burnout I was feeling and made the difficult decision to defer for a year to allow myself some rest. My deferment year was the best gift I have given to myself and allowed me to go into graduate school refreshed and excited for the experience.

 

During graduate school, I interned at an outpatient youth and family center doing play therapy and family therapy with children and families impacted by trauma. I was also the Field Representative on the executive board of the Council for Students of Color which allowed me to advocate for students of color who faced unique circumstances of racism, discrimination, and hardships during their internships. In that role I successfully advocated for, helped create, and saw into fruition field seminars which were affinity spaces for students of color, which I consider to be one of my biggest accomplishments during my time at Smith. Since graduation in August 2020, I registered as an Associate Clinical Social Worker and was hired in October by Communicare Health Centers as a Behavioral Health Clinician. As a clinician, I do assessments, diagnose, triage, and case management with adult clients struggling with serious mental illness (SMI) and unhoused individuals.

 

How has the pandemic affected your life -- personally and professionally? Where do you live and how has the pandemic affected your area? The pandemic obviously has had an impact on our program at Marist. What words of encouragement can you share with current team members to support them during this challenging time?

To the current team members who are facing an unexpected turn of events during their season: everything happens for a reason. As someone who was injured multiple times, missed a full season of track my first year, and finished my collegiate track career with an injury that limited my ability to run, trust me when I say everything will happen just as it is supposed to. Life often throws us curve balls, and the only way to make it through is to allow yourself to feel what you feel without judgment, come to terms with the new circumstances, and find a way to thrive despite the circumstances. Things are different right now, but different does not always mean bad. Find joy in the little things: being able to spend time with your teammates, finding new and creative ways to work out and keep your competitive edge, and making memories that you can look back and smile on. 

 

The year 2020 just ended. A lot happened throughout the year. What are some of your memories -- good, bad, in between -- about all that occurred during these past 12 months?

Some of my best memories from 2020 include helping my sister move to a new state to start a new career as a middle school science teacher, visiting two of my friends from MCTF (Danisha Craig ’18 and Sami Ellougani ’18) right before everything shut down because of COVID, the birth of a new cousin, Meeko, in my family, starting my current job, which I love, and two virtual graduations in my family, my brother’s from medical school and my own from my graduate program! Although, one could argue that the graduations being virtual make them a mix of good and bad, because they would have been so much more exciting if held in person. Some of the bad and in between memories include witnessing and being impacted by the political and social unrest, particularly surrounding the Black Lives Matter Organization and Movement, as I am someone that is extremely passionate about social issues. It was a really heavy time, but also a time that brought some hope around the possibility of the learning, unlearning and change that is necessary in this country to move toward justice and equity. 

 

Where do you see things headed -- short-term and long-term -- and do you have optimism for 2021?

I definitely have some optimism for 2021! I have a lot of goals that I have set for myself and are laying down the foundations for a happy and healthy year. Short term, I see myself continuing to work in my present position at my job, learning and growing as a social worker, and continuing my involvement in my community, particularly in supporting the Sac Fridge For All organization, which hosts community fridges in the greater Sacramento Area. In 2021, I hope to get back into the swing of working out more regularly. Working out took a back seat in my life in 2020, and I am determined to bring it back to the forefront. After a rough start to my fitness goals in 2021, getting rhabdomyolysis, I am slowly easing myself back into working out, prioritizing listening to my body and its needs. Long term, I see myself moving into a more permanent position that allows me to work with children and families doing play therapy and family therapy. I also have plans to start a Ph.D. program in the next five years, so we will see how that all works out!