Pedro Acevedo

Sports Editor

LeAnn Alexander, a native of Starkville, Miss., was recently named director of campus recreation at the W. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in family studies from MUW and a Master of Science degree in Counselor Education with emphasis in student affairs from Mississippi State University.

How long have you been at the W? How long have your worked for the Recreation Center?

“I did do my undergrad work here, graduated spring 2011. After that I ended up going to grad school and majoring in student affairs. Through the time I was a student here I worked as a student worker here at the recreation center all four years, and so I already the experience of campus rec, specifically at this gym.”

How did you come back to the W?

“When I was in grad school I found out that student recreation was a part of student affairs division, so I said ‘Isn’t that great!’ to do something I’ve always done and with the degree that I had gotten. I found it hard to find a job, as grad students do, and it just so happened that this position, the assistant director position, opened up here at the W, so I said I’d give it a try. Never in a million years had I thought I’d be back so soon, but it worked out in my favor, and that’s kind of how I got back here.”

What do you like the most about your job?

“It’s been awesome to transition so quickly and move to a position that I always admired. It’s amazing. I would have to say I love the student interaction. Being able to interact with our students and help them to develop while they are here in school. Just seeing them grow as they matriculate through their college years is great.”

What are your expectations and goals for your new position within the university?

I’ve been coming up with a vision, a 5-year vision, and based on what I’ve seen on my short time being here, one of the biggest things that’s on my agenda is to kind of make the Rec Center a community place where the students can come to hang out and feel comfortable. We don’t really have a centralized location on campus where students can come to meet their friends and have a good time other than the residence halls, and those are great, but when it comes to activities I think the Rec Center is best place for that. So we are looking at improving our structure with new furniture and to make this more of a place where students can connect with the university.”