Being a student athlete can have its high and lows – its exhausting moments, as well as its exhilarating highs. For Lauren Hinton, a fourth-year student who played soccer for the University of Virginia while attending the McIntire School of Commerce, that experience gives her perspective that often differs from those of her classmates.
The highs have been fantastic, she said. “For our senior game this year, my comm group from fall 2020 was there to cheer me on. Parents in the stands even commented on how loud they were. They made a sign. It was great.”
But Hinton said playing soccer for the University as a reserve midfielder while studying commerce has provided “the ultimate test of prioritizing and balancing school and athletics,” necessitating a proactive approach to stay atop both athletics and academics.
“As much as procrastination tempts me, I know that I will be overwhelmed if I do not prioritize tasks and make it a point to get them done early,” she said.
Pointing out that as McIntire coursework has a strong focus on team projects, she said it has been imperative that she reaches out to her fellow students regularly.
“When your whole life is dedicated to playing on a team, everyone you meet or work with moving forward becomes part of your team, in a way,” she said.
Hinton said she’s been interested in business ever since she watched her father and great-uncle launch a company that performed background checks, then shifted it into a data-collection enterprise. As the enterprise grew, so did her interest.
That attraction to the world of business took hold, eventually leading the Parker, Texas, native – by then a college soccer player – to apply to transfer to the McIntire School from Florida International University in 2019. The decision felt natural, she said. And despite having to delay graduation by a year to catch up on prerequisite courses, Hinton said she had no regrets.
Following graduation in May, Hinton hopes to play soccer abroad. (Photo courtesy University Athletics)
“McIntire has expanded my idea of business, has given me the opportunity to look at it with various lenses and through the experiences of various people I have worked with,” she said. “The professors in particular have helped me meet my academic goals, as well as being a personal resource.”
Hinton lauded the McIntire faculty who have had a positive impact on her experience, with two professors standing out. The first was Peter Maillet, who taught her “Foundations of Global Commerce” course.
“I don’t think I have ever met a more intelligent person,” Hinton said. “Professor Maillet knows just about everything happening in the global economy, and each topic for class got more interesting as the semester went on.”
The second was Jeffrey Leopold, who taught her “Foundations of Commerce” and another course last fall, “Project and Product Management.”
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