In the first of our series of interviews with our athlete leaders, we sat down with Lauren t’Kint de Roodenbeke. Lauren is a senior at George Washington University and a member of the track and cross-country team. She’s been on the TGP leadership team since the end of her freshman year.
What’s your favorite Grassroots memory?
My favorite Grassroots memory was during our Leadership Team retreat to South Africa! While we were in Capetown we had the chance to meet up with Grassroot Soccer coaches in Khayelitsha to check out the soccer fields where they teach Grassroots games and then their Nike sponsored headquarters in Soweto outside Jo’Burg. Their shoutout remixes were epic and it was great to see the roots of our curriculum come from.
What are you most looking forward to this year with Grassroots?
I’m most looking forward to seeing how well our new curriculum and parent program go this semester! I have had such a blast coaching my class at Mary Macleod Bethune Academy where our new parent program has been piloted. I really hope that we can expand the program to all of our other schools thanks to our donors and through feedback we have received during the pilot this semester!
Where are you from?
I am from Carlsbad, California.
Who do you most look up to and why?
I most look up to my parents because they both used their love of climbing and the outdoors to create a career in the outdoor retail industry. They have always told me to work hard and pursue a career in something I love and I see them do just that in and out of the office everyday.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
If I could eat one food for the rest of my life it would be RAMEN. I am obsessed with Ramen (no, not the $1 packs you buy at CVS) and love exploring DC’s awesome ramen restaurant scene.
What’s your favorite TV show?
My favorite TV show is Stranger Things. I tried to recreate the Christmas light wall from season 1 in my house for Halloween but failed miserably.
