Her Story
About Lauren
I started working as soon as I could in high school and held all kinds of different positions through college and grad school - I've been a lifeguard, a camp counselor, a volleyball coach. But I really wanted to continue my efforts in healthcare, which is something I started right after college. I just love helping people, helping businesses be able to care for their patients as best as they can. That's when I come in and really see where businesses, nonprofits, or large organizations and healthcare systems are at, and see where I can help them provide better care to their patients. Currently, I'm able to help their patients become organ donors and save other people's lives, and I really love that. In my previous role, I helped skilled nursing facilities manage their budget better - I believe it was like an $11 million budget that I helped with. In my current role at UVA, one of the best things I've done is help them identify more opportunities to be able to help more people through their donor program. It's been impactful for me - I'm [AGE], I just turned [AGE], and to be able to present that information in front of people who have been doing this as long as I've been alive has kind of stunned me at some point. My confidence has had to come up and align with where I am currently, being the one presenting for an hour, so that's been an awesome opportunity to learn and to grow.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
At the end of the day, no matter where somebody is in an organization, people are still people. I know it can be intimidating sometimes in certain scenarios, but even as you see the people that are in leadership, we all have our flaws, we are all people, we all can do things that are great. So have confidence and know that you are there for a reason. You are able to perform and do your job well, and your bosses put you there because they believed in you.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One value that's most important to me is to be genuine - be genuine to yourself, even when it's difficult in certain scenarios. Integrity is a big one for me. Sometimes things get in gray areas at work, and we all face these things, but being able to hold your head up at the end of the day and say, you know what, I could have really taken the selfish route, but that is not, one, who I am, or two, going to lead me down a path that I should go in the long run. Third is being adaptable - being able to be in multiple scenarios that you can be thrown into, and know that change is going to come, because it always does. Being able to be adaptable, know that change is coming, and be able to have a mindset behind that.
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