This week we talked to 2009 Generals Lax Alum Colleen Evans and found out how her first full year has been living in Austin, TX:
1. How are you liking Austin after spending a full year there?Colleen: I cannot believe that it’s been a year already (we moved down end of last August) but Austin definitely feels like home. My roommate Hillary Prey (fellow ’09 alum) and I have definitely enjoyed our apartment, the friends we’ve made, and the mild climate! Austin’s a great city because it’s very reasonable in terms of the cost of living and there’s so much going on all the time. It’s a really green city and everyone is very health conscious which I really like. Most importantly, it’s football season again, which is possibly the most fun time of the year since there’s an entire state that stops what it’s doing on UT gamedays . Home games here in Austin are so fun and the entire city tailgates and wears burnt orange. Since I attended such a small school I’m definitely taking advantage of the big school vibe UT provides.
2. Where are you working?
Colleen: Right now I’m working at Marsh, a division of Marsh & McLennan, a risk management/ insurance brokerage firm. I deal primarily with our corporate clients evidencing their insurance policies for 3rd party vendors (their clients). It’s been a huge learning curve since I essentially knew nothing about insurance before my training. It’s helped me understand so much about the way that major corporations conduct business and since we work in teams (mine is comprised of 8 people) it makes it fun. We have lots of competitions and I like that I’m busy all day every day.
3. Do you have any future career/school plans?Colleen: While I’ve definitely learned a lot in this job, my ultimate goal is to merge by background in athletics and my degree in journalism to work in sports PR/marketing. Right now I don’t foresee graduate school in my immediate future, but having UT here and hearing about all their programs definitely has made me consider my options. But for the time being, I’m trying to evaluate exactly what I want to do and the best way to go about it, and we’ll see where I end up!
4. Have you taken up any hobbies since graduating?
Colleen: Graduating and suddenly having so much time without school work or lacrosse definitely inspired me to find ways to spend my free time. A bunch of my friends and I joined a softball league last spring, which taught me that catching a ball with a glove is a LOT harder than catching one with a lacrosse stick. I wouldn’t say it was the best showcase of my skills, but it was really fun to play recreationally with all my friends. Since Austin is the live music capital of the world, we take in as many (free) shows as possible. Over the summer they have Blues on the Green, which is a huge outdoor concert series in Zilker Park, where Austin City Limits is held so it’s great to take advantage of that. One of my friends here started doing Improv comedy with a local group so we like to go see him sometimes; it’s really entertaining and I’d never seen Improv before. Lake Travis, which is a short drive from Austin, is a gorgeous lake and we try to go out there whenever we can. A couple of my friends have boats so we wakeboard and tube and swim whenever possible. On Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day there are party barges. The sunsets out there are also incredible.
5. What’s the biggest difference between living in Lexington and living in Austin?Colleen: The biggest difference for me was permanently relocating to a large city for the first time. While I studied abroad and spent time in big cities during internships, it’s much different when you make plans to stay long term. Having an actual commute and sitting in stop and go traffic on the way home is something I never dealt with in Lexington. Even after a year I still forget that I can get anything I need here in 10 minutes. Whether it’s things like Chick-fil-a, going to Target or catching a last-minute free show on a Wednesday half a mile from my apartment, (all of which I used to have to travel to Roanoke for), I’ve definitely gotten used to the amenities of a big city.
As much as Austin and Lexington are different, I have found similarities. I love college towns, and growing up in Lexington and having W&L and VMI so close was really enjoyable. In the same way, having UT here is a lot of fun…there’s always so much going on near the university and I love how much the whole city rallies around the college. There’s a beautiful area called the Greenbelt not far from where I live that reminds me so much of Panther Falls and we love to go hiking and swimming there. Lady Bird Lake has 10 miles of trails perfect for running and is reminiscent of the Chessie Trail.
6. What do you miss most about W&L?Colleen: I miss a lot about W&L. For me a lot of memories I have of the school are tied in with my childhood growing up in Lexington. I miss my off campus house and roommates as much as I miss running around the law school in middle school waiting for my mom to get off work. I definitely do miss lacrosse the most. Having a reason to work the hardest you ever will and being able do it with my closest friends is not something you can duplicate after college. Thankfully, two of my best friends here played soccer for Richmond, so we can all reminisce together about missing college sports even though we had different experiences.
7. Have you kept in touch with your fellow Generals Lax alums?
Colleen: I have kept in touch with quite a few alums! I was able to see Kelsi, J-Got, Ellie and Britten over last Christmas break and I was recently in Lexington for a few day this summer and Flip came and I got to see her for the first time in a year (which is crazy!). Recently I saw pictures of Maddie’s new kitten, Mr. Waffles (so jealous) and I call my teammates when I can, and we do a lot of texting. I’m always encouraging people to come visit me in Texas and would love to host any alums who can make the trip. Whenever I head back east I do my best to see as many lax alums as possible.
8. Anything else you’d like Generals’ fans, parents or players to know?Colleen: I highly recommend taking a chance and moving somewhere you know nothing about if you’re feeling restless and unsure after graduation. I knew very little about Austin and had only been once before I moved but making a big change is a lot of fun. Take a chance; you have your whole life to figure out what you want to do!
