PHILADELPHIA – Renee Washington, La Salle Hall of Athletes inductee, multiple-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and All-American women's soccer alumnus has recently accepted a position in New York City with Front Office Sports as Co-Host of the network daily flagship show, FOS Today. La Salle athletics recently sat down with Washington to discuss her time at La Salle.
How Did Your Time as a Student-Athlete at La Salle Prepare You For a Successful Career? "As an athlete that was part of a mid-major program in the Atlantic 10 that was a bit under the radar, we were able to exceed a lot of expectations and get on the national level in terms of our rankings and reach, taught me a lot. The opportunities that I experienced as a soccer player and as a student in general really allowed me to learn the value of being versatile, finding ways to stand out, finding ways to work harder, train harder, prep differently, and be independent, and most importantly, be intrinsically motivated.
How Did Being in a Large City Help Your Career? I wish I had taken better advantage of it now that I'm a reporter by getting involved on the media side! Just being in a big city was incredible, and being in a whole different type of environment that was different from when I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey was so important. Even if it was on the social side, on the personal side of getting out and enjoying the city. I think just the experiences, the culture, the community, the feeling of La Salle's specific campus changed me. Even the immediate Philly neighborhoods around us gave me a chance to step out of my bubble and have new experiences to explore the world in a unique way.
Now that I'm traveling so much more for work and in major cities and major markets all the time, having had that opportunity to grow up in Philly and even now still living in Philly, I should say. It gave me a better idea of the different melting pots that big cities have and how to embrace them. So, it really was a good chance for me to step out of my comfort zone and out of my Jersey girl bubble to be able to live in Philly, attend La Salle, and gave me comfort as I moved through my professional career of being able to work in a big city and what that looks like to live in one which is so important in many careers.
As a Prospect, Why Did You Choose La Salle When Philadelphia Has So Many Options For College? I did not know I was going to have nearly the level of success I did at La Salle when I went to the school. I was simply going for a chance to compete, be challenged, have a chance to play soccer, and a chance to continue my education. Ultimately, I ended up being able to have an opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond. And now, even to this day, when I reach out to La Salle, there are so many people that I am on a first-name basis with beyond just my classmates, teammates, and coaches. It's knowing the staff, knowing other teachers, knowing other coaches and other teams.
Being in the City Six and in Philly, where there's so much opportunity and so much community and just so much going on. I think La Salle gave that balance of, when you're on campus you are slightly isolated from the larger Philly chaos. That's what I enjoyed. I love the campus vibe, the community vibe of La Salle, that you're in the city but you're separated from the city. However, you still have that access. I remember going to the Penn Relays and watching friends and teammates and cheering them on. I remember being able to go to other events in the city, networking events, attending games and things like that. So, you have the balance, which I think is really important that you can make the opportunity your own. The internships, the experiences, the cultural events, and different things that are going on. You have access to them if you want it, but you also still have that separation of the La Salle University community.
What Does It Mean as an Alum to See All That Athletics Has Going On Right Now?
It's great to see. Just the landscape of changes that are happening across collegiate sports with things such as NIL. The things that are happening on campus around La Salle with the new facilities, and the changes that are being implemented are so important. Even just some of the resources I see up close, having had a chance to teach a class this past semester, teaching a sports broadcasting class, it also gave me a chance to connect with the students and hear the different resources that they have available on campus that maybe weren't as available when I was there. Be it mental health support or professional development. Not all that is new, of course, I tapped into career services and I utilized a lot of the resources there at La Salle to my advantage, but there's just so much that's different, that's new. It's exciting to see because it just gives the students opportunities to be supported, to be challenged, to learn.
I absolutely wish some of those things were here when I was, and I'm a little bit jealous of the kids now. I wonder how having those things would have impacted my career. However, the reality is, I'm one of the many people who helped set up this current status of where La Salle is at, and help the university get to this point. And I'm proud to say that in some way, I hopefully helped open up some new opportunities for today's students.
What Would You Say If You Were Standing in a Room with All the Current La Salle Student-Athletes? I would say, just go into it with your eyes wide open and be a sponge ready to make the most of this opportunity. I was fortunate to do that. I had multiple internships and was actively always trying to learn new things, try new things.
I had a double minor when I was here. I took a wide range of classes and just had so many opportunities to learn what I like, what I don't like, who I am, and who I want to be. Sometimes, we go into things so close-minded with preconceived notions and expectations that we might miss out on better opportunities. As someone who studied public relations with a double minor in Spanish and psychology, I pivoted, and was able to pivot through the different ways that La Salle challenged me to learn about myself. I didn't know that I'd be a sports reporter. I might have just gone a different path had I gone in with the wrong attitude.
I think it's just to be open to whatever life's possibilities present you to see who you want to be in your life. Just embrace it, enjoy it, because it definitely flies by, but embrace it and enjoy it with a wide open mind, that no matter what you're going to learn and be a better person because of the experiences at La Salle.
