IMC student Jenny Lauer has a full plate in front of her. From being a TA for Dr. Misha Laurents’ Public Speaking class to leading a women’s bible study with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to being the announcer at FSU softball games, she keeps herself busy – and that’s just the way she likes it.

Lauer didn’t always picture her life the way it is now. As an undergraduate student and soccer player at Western Carolina University, Lauer had originally declared her major as Motion Picture and Television Production and had lofty dreams of directing and producing romantic comedies in Hollywood.

However, after serving as the Media Chair for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and taking an Introduction to Public Relations class, she discovered her true passion of promoting organizations.

She shares, “Communication always fascinated me because we are communicating all the time – with our actions, what we say, how we say it. My love for generating creative ideas, learning about the psychology behind consumer behavior and studying communication theories and strategies all led me to seek a Master’s degree.”

Breaking her spine before going into her senior year of soccer season at WCU also led Lauer down this serendipitous path. This career-ending injury and spinal fusion surgery hindered her dreams of taking the PR firm world by storm, but she never gave up.

Lauer explains, “Spinal fusion surgery after graduating college wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but apparently God had a different plan. I refused to ‘sit out’ my game of life. I figured if I was going to be taken out of the ‘game’ physically, then how can I get ahead mentally?”

Lauer found the answer after attending Passion, a Christian college conference in Atlanta, Georgia in January of last year. She gave a friend a ride back down to Florida State, and they researched the IMC program on the drive down. Lauer met with CCI development coordinator Betsy Crawford the next day and immediately fell in love with the school and the program.

She was offered a public speaking teaching assistantship, and four weeks after her back surgery, she was in Tallahassee taking Dr. Donna Marie Nudd‘s Teaching Oral Communications course.

Lauer notes, “Shout out to the SED Summer C 2015 class. They all helped me make it through the summer and start my journey here at FSU.”

Lauer also never saw herself teaching, but she has gained a liking for teaching and helping people find and effectively use their voice. She enjoys being able to instill value in her students’ thoughts and opinions and, ultimately, themselves.

She explains, “Dr. Misha Laurents encourages us TAs to see that teaching public speaking is very different than teaching any other course. The curriculum doesn’t involve testing equations, theories or definitions; it is a course that instills self-confidence, reduces speaking anxiety and improves the discovery and effectiveness of your own voice.”

It was Dr. Laurents who encouraged Lauer to go for the opportunity to announce at FSU softball games. Already friends with some of the players and the soccer/softball athletic administrator Robin Arhburg, Lauer knew that she had to try. Her attempt was successful, and she will begin announcing this season.

Lauer shares, “I am still a little reluctant to have a microphone in my face, but I cannot deny that I am super excited to support and announce the names of one of the best collegiate softball teams in the world and some of the players I am blessed to call my friends.”

Lauer’s most meaningful experience at FSU so far has been being involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. There, she leads a small women’s bible study and revels in watching friendships form between athletes of various sports.

In her spare time, Lauer enjoys playing sports and attending Orangetheory fitness classes. She can’t wait to start playing again, even if it’s participating IM softball and sand volleyball. Five years from now, she wants her IMC degree to have taken her places that she can’t imagine or believe right now – but she would love to work for Nike or a major marketing firm.

To learn more about the IMC program offered by FSU, follow this link. Additionally, to learn more about FSU softball and the upcoming season, click here.