Making Her Mark – Lauryn Turner

“At Meredith, I have learned that I am a strong leader and someone who wants to leave a place better than they found it. Since the first time I stepped on campus, I knew I wanted to leave my mark on Meredith and the people here. 

In the fall of 2022, I pulled together athletes from other teams to start a student section to support our volleyball team for each home game, and we eventually took on the name ‘Angel Nation.’ As the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president this year, I led the food drive and helped Meredith finish with 2,352 total items collected – the most in school history.

As a student-athlete on the lacrosse team, I came in as a freshman with 20 instant friends who became my sisters. My teammates past and present have all made my experience wonderful and added to the family feeling I felt the first day I stepped on campus. Within the athletics department, each team supports the others. Wings Up Sports and SAAC have allowed me to learn about and get to know other athletes and coaches in our department that I may not have connected with otherwise.

I have always grown up around sports whether watching them on TV or playing on the field or the court. While Meredith did not have sports communication, I knew a mass communication major would allow me to reach my career goals. The growing department has given me opportunities like no other and I am very appreciative. 

My relationships with faculty and my peers have helped shape my overall experience at Meredith because they are so supportive of me and my choices. One of my communication professors has been one of my biggest supporters during my time here as he helped launch Wings Up Sports, a sports broadcasting show that covers anything and everything Avenging Angels Athletics. My peers truly show me what strong looks like. Every day I am in a competitive environment, both in the classroom and on the field, with people who show me that I can do hard things.

During the 2023 lacrosse season, we dealt with a lot of injuries and setbacks and played each game with low numbers. During our regular season game against conference rival Southern Virginia, we played in poor weather conditions with no substitutions and our backup goalie as a field player. This would be the tightest conference game of my career, but we ultimately won 11-10 when I scored the game-winning goal in the last minute of the game. Throughout the whole game, I looked at my teammates who were on crutches and unable to play and I told myself that we needed to do this for them. This game might have felt like one of the longest games of my life but it was the mental toughness of playing in freezing rain without a substitution that helped us overcome the unthinkable.

I chose to come to Meredith because of many factors. First, the small classroom environment has helped me feel supported and heard by my professors and peers rather than just another number. Meredith’s location has given me many internship and job opportunities that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. The tight-knit community I instantly felt a part of the moment I stepped on campus also played a huge part in my college decision. Whether academically or athletically, I always have a strong group of people who are in my corner and want to see me reach my goals.

After graduation, I am planning to become a sports broadcaster for a news station or work in college athletics in sports communication. My positivity, futuristic, and competition strengths have shown me that I can work in fast-paced environments like the sports industry.”