Vanessa Medina, a senior softball player from Bakersfield, Calif., came to Lipscomb University to experience a different world.
“I wanted to challenge myself,” she said.
For four years, softball was Medina’s life. According to Medina, the sport provided her with some of her favorite memories.
“One of my best memories was winning conference my sophomore year,” Medina said. “We danced to ‘Baby’ on the field.”
Medina was injured her sophomore and senior years, which limited her playing time. She was offered a medical redshirt but decided not to use it. Instead, Medina said she is enjoying being a regular student during her last semester of college.
“I do love being a normal student,” Medina said. “I also like being busy though, so I don’t think I could handle all this free time for more than one semester.”
While softball was Medina’s job and took up the majority of her time, it was just a means to a desired end. Medina is majoring in public relations and wants to use her degree to remain involved in sports.
“Maybe I’ll be a sports broadcaster or the person setting up the press conferences,” Medina said. “I want to do something in sports.”
Medina’s dream is for that “something” to be a job in Major League Baseball. Though her favorite team is the New York Yankees, Medina has interviewed for a position with the Minnesota Twins, among other types of jobs. “I’ve had a couple of interviews, but nothing is set in stone.”
Medina said sports helped her learn valuable life skills. “I learned a lot of time management because of softball,” she said, adding that her faith also grew a great deal while at Lipscomb.
Many people touched Medina’s life at Lipscomb, but none more than Mark McGee. McGee is the senior publisher and media relations director for Lipscomb’s athletic department, and Medina said he was an important influence.
“I feel like he has helped me through a lot with sports, life and even into a career,” Medina said. “He is someone I can talk to, for sure, about anything.”
Medina will graduate this December and said she hopes to have a job or an internship lined up right out of college.
“I want to travel,” Medina said. “I’m young, so why not.”