“Where Are They Now” – Lexie Roberson Shuster
The "Where Are They Now" Wells College Athletics series puts a spotlight on the alumni and alumnae to give the Wells community an inside look at some of its many special student-athletes from years past. We would love to tell your story knowing that part of you journey began with us! Today's segment features Lexie Roberson Shuster.
Lexie Roberson Shuster was a member of the Wells College field hockey (2012-15) and lacrosse (2013-16) teams and graduated cum laude from Wells with a major in biology in 2016 as a Henry Wells Scholarship recipient. On the field, Lexie was a three-time most valuable player and rookie of the year in lacrosse and took the Express Award one season in field hockey while being part of a national academic squad and conference champion.
Lexie went on from Wells to obtain an MBA from the University of Texas at Tyler and is currently the director of operations at Smith Cleaning and Restoration.
In a brief question and answer segment with Lexie, we asked her to reflect on her time at Wells in looking back, while at the same time offering some advice to current and future Wells College student-athletes:
Wells College teams participated on and years of participation: Field Hockey (four years) 2012-2015; Women's Lacrosse (four years) 2013-2016.
Athletic and/or academic awards: Academic: 2016: Cum Laude; 2013-2016: Dean's List; 2012-2016: Henry Wells Scholar. Athletic: 2015-2016: Lacrosse Captain; 2016: Lesley Wead Zabriskie Express Award for Field Hockey; 2014-2016: Most Valuable Player for Lacrosse (3 consecutive years); 2013-2016: NEAC Scholar Athlete; 2015: Won the NEAC Field Hockey Championship; 2015: Named to the National Academic Squad by ZAG Sports/ National Field Hockey Coach Association (NFCA); 2013: Women's Lacrosse Rookie of the Year Award.
Current occupation: Director of Operations at Smith Cleaning and Restoration (Pendleton, S.C.). My responsibilities include the day-to-day operations of a full-service restoration company. They actively develop and organize programs and growth opportunities to support the strategic initiative of the organization, and routinely monitor and analyze company financials and operational reports. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the business, the director of operations is head of the human resources department and develops and creates new policies and procedures and facilitates quality and compliance for the company.
Professional and/or community clubs/associations: Chair of the Safety Committee, Smith Cleaning and Restoration.
Reasons for choosing Wells to continue your athletic career: I chose Wells because of the traditions and sense of community that you could find on campus, in addition to the campus being stunning! I had two recruiting visits during the fall and winter of my high school senior year, and after the first visit I knew immediately that Wells was the fit for me. I felt the sense of family when hanging out with the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and loved the small-knit community feel the campus offered. The campus was also stunning (I felt like I was at Hogwarts), the science program was amazing, and the school offered numerous events and traditions, which having all of these benefits AND playing sports that I loved, solidified my decision for Wells to be my number one choice for college.
Favorite memory of Wells College: My favorite memories of Wells were my teammates (who became my family) and the school's traditions! My teammates were always reliable and people that I could trust with anything I needed. As athletes, we were put to the test mentally, physically, and emotionally daily and overcame those obstacles together, making us such a close unit! I always cherish the memories I had with my friends and teammates in addition to playing two sports that I love and hold close to my heart! I am so happy that I went to Wells and was able to play sports that I love, and I will never forget that. In addition to the athletics, I will never forget the traditions that Wells hosted. I believe that the traditions kept Wells a college that was different than the others, and such a fun place to be when I was not playing sports! Without traditions, I am not sure what Wells would be like. Traditions kept me looking forward to the weekends and gave me a time to have fun and unwind with my friends! Some of my favorites were the numerous dances and Odd/Even in addition to going to school with my brother, which was exciting to share these special memories with! Lastly, I will forever be grateful to Wells since I met my husband there. We began dating my freshman year of college in 2012 and married in 2018. I am so appreciative for the memories and love Wells has given me.
Advice you would give to current Wells College Student-Athletes: Pain (mental, physical, emotional) is only temporary! Being a student-athlete, you are faced with learning how to time manage and balance school, work, sports and friends while being put to the test physically and emotionally on the field. Stick through the difficult times you may be facing, find friends or teammates you can talk to, and stay diligent with your schoolwork and balancing a social life. My biggest struggle came in my freshman year with time management. I wanted to primarily focus on sports and friends, although I realized quickly after my first semester, I needed to balance schoolwork as well. I learned how to time manage my schedule and began to excel in my class work, and even set academic goals for myself such as graduating cum laude or making the Dean's List each semester. Once I learned how to manage my time better, I began to balance sports, school, work and my social life and felt successful in all areas because I had the resources and drive, and want to succeed and not dwell on the hardships.
