Lauren Segars
Women's Soccer
2008 – Revelle - Psychology
 |
|
Segars in action during the 2007 campaign.
|
After a stellar four years as a student-athlete at UC San Diego, Lauren Segars has returned to the collegiate realm to work as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating from UC San Diego, Segars discovered that she had a passion for philanthropy while working for the nonprofit organization America SCORES LA. She soon decided to go back to school as well, and is currently studying to earn her masters in guidance and counseling at Loyola Marymount University while simultaneously working full-time.
Segars loves the experience of working at a university: “It’s definitely a unique and diverse environment. It’s really motivating and inspiring.” She takes advantage of the various opportunities that come with working at a university, such as the professors, the speakers, and the students themselves. “In any given week, you have all these opportunities for learning,” she says.
But before she decided to pursue a career on a college campus, Segars was learning as an undergraduate soccer student-athlete at UC San Diego. Her experience as a student-athlete is something she will never forget or take for granted: “For four years I was involved in something that challenged me and tested me to all of my limits. I’m bonded to this network of people—not only the women that I played with, but the women that came before me, the ones that played after me, and the rest of the triton student-athlete alumni base from all of the sports across campus.”
 |
|
Lauren with some teamates at the annual Homecoming
celebration.
|
Being a member of the UC San Diego Women’s Soccer team gave Segars another key quality that has helped her throughout her life: resilience. “The experiences of fully breaking down and then recovering in sports offer some of the greatest lessons in life.” Whether it was recovering from a loss or recovering from back surgery and knee surgery, Segars leaned on her teammates for support and knew that the hours of training, physical therapy and rehabilitation would be worth it once she was on the field again. This strength helped her when she was later diagnosed with epilepsy and has had to struggle with being in and out of hospitals. “That resilience is what enables you to get through something like that; it pays off.”
As someone who works in annual giving, Segars understands more than anyone that even the smallest of gifts can have an enormous impact on a program and its students. This is why she makes sure to show her gratitude and give back to UC San Diego Athletics: “For me, it’s just a way to show my appreciation for the program, the people, and all of the memories this experience continues to provide me. Giving is just a small way for me to say ‘thank you’ to those that came before me who paved the way while also investing in the future of UCSD athletics during such a transformative time in the program’s history.”
Alumni Spotlight is written by student-athlete Lauren Iannetta (’17), a history major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. She is a second year on the women’s rowing team. If you are interested in sharing your Triton Alumni Athlete story, please contact Danielle Boyle Melman at daboyle@ucsd.edu.
Previous Alumni Spotlights:
Shane Poppen - 2009
Sherine Ebadi - 1998
Brett Stuckey - 2009
Richard Freer - 1975
Christina Guintu - 2001
Toya Ellis - 1991
