The Kinesiology Merit Fellowships are given to deserving students from educational, cultural, or geographic backgrounds that are underrepresented in kinesiology in the United States or at the University of Michigan. These students have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in the academic, professional, or civic realm through their work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of student or community organizations.

Read on to learn more about Lauren Strefling, one of this year’s undergraduate fellows.
 

Q: What brought you to U-M?
A: I started out at Michigan State University, and I was studying business, but I didn't have a general direction where I wanted to go. When I came across U-M’s sport management program, I reached out to La’Joya Orr [the managing director for recruitment & admissions in the Kinesiology Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs], and she was very friendly and welcoming. She was always willing to hop on a Zoom call and answer any of the questions I had. You could tell she really wanted me to be here. And I just knew the School of Kinesiology was the place that I wanted to be. It felt like home.
 

Q: Why are you interested in sport management?
A: Growing up, I was always involved in sports. I knew it was a missing piece of my life that I wanted to get back into. The community feel and environment when you’re involved in sports is unmatched in other places.
 

Q: What's your experience been like at SoK so far?
A: Being a transfer student, I've been welcomed with such open arms. It’s been an amazing experience just getting to learn and meet new people. I’ve participated in Transfer Connections [a non-residential learning community at U-M designed to connect first-semester transfer students with upper-level peer mentors who also transferred], and that’s been huge as somebody who didn’t know much about the campus.
 

Q: What do you think it is about SoK that has felt better for you so far?
A: I think I’m surrounded by more like-minded individuals, people who will go to any means to achieve what they want. I get pushed harder to succeed.
 

Q: What are your long-term goals within the sport management space?
A: I’ve always been a huge football fan, so I’ve wanted to work in the NFL and do marketing or event operations. But right now, I’m pretty flexible.


Q: What do you like about marketing and event operations?
A: I participated in an internship this past summer with a site organizer for Pastime Tournaments [a host organization for travel youth baseball tournaments around the country], where I worked in event operations. I’d go to different host sites and make sure all the tournaments were running smoothly, and it just clicked with me. Marketing, I’m a very creative, hands-on person, so I feel like that would fit me well. 

  
Q: Are you involved in anything on campus?
A: I'm in the Sport Business Association, and I have an internship for the football team in recruiting. I really like the people that I'm working with; they’re all hardworking and here to achieve the same goal, so it’s fun.
 

Q: What is your favorite thing about the School of Kinesiology?
A: My favorite thing is called the the Commons [in the center of the school on the second floor]. You can see so many familiar faces from classes you've had, and everybody's collaborating and talking amongst each other, and it's such a welcoming environment.
 

Q: How has the Kinesiology Merit Fellows program benefited you?
A: As somebody who did not really know what they wanted to do coming in, it was nice to get in a small group of people and talk to them about their goals or aspirations and to have somebody to talk to whenever I needed help. I love meeting new people and learning about their backgrounds, and it's really helped me grow as a person as somebody who came from a small town with not much diversity.
 

Q: Where are you from?
A: Buchanan, in the very southwest corner of Michigan.
 

Q: Did you intentionally go to a bigger school given that you grew up in a small town?
A: Yes, definitely. And that's been a good choice so far.


Q: Do you have interest in living in a larger city going forward or will that be mostly dictated by the job?
A: I think I want to experience big-city living for a while, but in the end I'd like to go back to a small town and live on a bunch of land. It’s great to walk into the store and see so many people that you know. You know everybody and everybody knows you.