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Printer-Friendly ModeWomen’s soccer player just as selfless off the field as she is on it
PLAYER PROFILE
October 19, 2009 —
Most college students would be satisfied with graduating in four years while maintaining a 3.9 grade point average. This does not even scratch the surface of what Renee Privette, an exercise science senior, has done during her time at SVSU.
Privette is a starter for the 10-1- 2 women’s soccer team, a member of the Business and Entrepreneurial Skills Training (BEST) Program, a team representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the Students Exercise Science Association.
“We [SAAC] really focus on making a difference in the Saginaw area,” Privette said.
As a team representative for SAAC, Privette donates her own time to community service projects, and she works hard to encourage teammates to do the same. Although there was limited involvement in SAAC three years ago, the atmosphere has become much more involved. Getting students to donate their time is the most difficult step.
“Make yourself feel uncomfortable, and put yourself out there,” Privette said.
Privette has developed an ability to communicate with new people, which she improved during through her involvement with the BEST Program.
“I really underestimated the value of networking my first year,” she said.
One of the focus’ of the BEST Program is to help entrepreneurship minors find internships. This requires the ability to effectively and comfortably communicate with strangers.
Privette explained that you may only have three or four minutes to explain who you are to a complete stranger. I have gotten job opportunities for soccer training just by being able to talk with people 20 or 30 years older than me,” she said.
She plans to go to graduate school for a master’s degree in exercise physiology. From there, she would like to work for a university developing workout programs for sports teams and completing research.
Research is an essential part of developing an exercise program, explained Privette. She has developed this appreciation for research by attending regional and national American College of Sports Medicine conferences.
Academic conferences are not the only thing Privette would like to attend regionally or nationally, as the women’s soccer team nears the end of regular season, currently second in the GLIAC standings. The women worked diligently in the off-season to earn this success.
“The new people, right from the start, bought into what we were trying to accomplish,” Privette said. “From day one, for every sprint, we try to remind ourselves it’s for the GLIAC championship.”
Privette’s favorite moment as a Cardinal came this season, when the team tied Grand Valley State University, which was ranked No. 4 in the country at the time.
“To hear the stands go nuts when we scored was amazing,” she said.
A subtlety should be noted in Privette’s statement, “we scored,” when in fact she was the one who scored the goal. This goes a long way when understanding who Renee Privette is.