Heading into her senior year at Seton Hall University, guard Lauren Park-Lane is excited to see what the Pirates can do this year. “I have really big dreams, aspirations and goals for our team this year,” she said. “I feel like the amount of talent we have this year, there’s no reason for us not to fulfill all of those dreams.”
Park-Lane is also thinking about her future. While she hopes that includes playing professional basketball, she’s also excited by other possibilities and deeply appreciated the opportunity to hear about other people’s post-college careers at the Big East Conference’s Transition Game program, held Sept. 17-18 in New York City.
“I didn’t know what to expect going into it,” said Park-Lane. “It was a really good experience for me hearing from a lot of the panelists who were players in the Big East what their journeys were after playing basketball. Most of them on the panel, especially the younger ones who graduated recently, spoke on how coming out of college they didn’t…have a set-in-stone plan but were open to opportunities.”
Of course, Park-Lane wants to keep playing basketball for as long as she can after completing her collegiate experience, but she also has an interest in coaching, which she has discussed with Seton Hall coach Anthony Bozzella. “I’m a realistic person,” she said. “I know jobs don’t just become available as soon as I graduate.”
She’s also into fashion and has made some contacts in the fashion industry. “I like styling,” she said. “Recently, I got the opportunity to style Jordin Canada, she plays for the Los Angeles Sparks. This was my first gig styling. I was nervous, but it was a good learning experience for me. I was thankful for her giving me the opportunity. I got to go shopping with her and pick out outfits. That’s something I can see myself doing—styling, personal shopping, things of that nature.”
Park-Lane was moved by Transition Game’s closing session with Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, a sought-after speaker and expert in teen, young adult and family mental health. “She talked to us about mental health,” said Park-Lane. “Then, she told us about her own story. Seeing an African American woman, and she’s very well put together and she was passionate about what she was talking about, really stood out to me. She was probably my favorite speaker. It was cool to hear from her.”