Alumni Ups His Game As Basketball Coach

By Berkley Holzschuh '14

Lindsay Strothers ‘80 has a tremendous passion for coaching basketball, which has contributed to his amazing success story.

As a Pacific alumnus, Strothers acknowledges that Pacific was the basis of his achievements. “Pacific prepared me for life,” said Strothers. “When I left I was prepared for any career. I learned to plan and prepare, trouble shoot and work with people.”

Since then Strothers has been coaching and mentoring student athletes from Oregon to California. He has coached a multitude of winning teams such as St. Mary’s Academy, University of Southern California, Chapman University, and other state and nationally ranked programs.

In 1999 Lindsay founded The Basketball Institute where their goal is “to teach players how to prepare for life through the development of their basketball skills.” Strothers started this after seeing a “need for young people to have qualified instruction in both skill and speed and power training.”

Currently, as the head coach of the girls basketball program at Westview High School, Strothers encourages prospective coaches to “meet as many coaches as you can. Find out whose philosophy fits with you and find a way to work and learn with them.”

Lindsay Strothers believes that intention is the most important characteristic any coach can have. As he amplifies intention in all areas of his life, Strothers’ story as a successful Pacific alumnus continues.

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable: Advice from an Alumnus

By Nicole Vickers '16 and Berkley Holzschuh '14

It wasn’t until Cisco Reyes ’03 stepped out of his comfort zone and did something new that his life fell into place. While he cautioned he is the exception, and most journeys have hurdles, Reyes believes success is a matter of risk taking and hard work combined.

As a student at Pacific University, Reyes said he wasn’t sure precisely he wanted to do with his career or even which career path he wanted to follow until the spring semester of his senior year.

Cisco Reyes '03

Reyes spent his time at Pacific not stepping out of his comfort zone to try to become a physical therapist, which was his first ambition, but rather playing baseball and coaching throughout the summers. Looking back, Reyes said “[he] developed late professionally because of [his] unwillingness to be ‘uncomfortable.’ Students need to learn how to be okay with being vulnerable; they’ll learn more about themselves that way.”

By putting themselves into more "uncomfortable" situations, networking or going to events, according to Reyes, students will be able to not only make connections that will help them later on in life, but they will be able to get their C.N.P. or Certified Nice Person. 

 “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” said Reyes. The more students are able to network and have a variety of friends, the better their chances are of being able to know the one person who, if they vouched for them, could mean the difference between having their dream job and getting passed over for the person who did make the connections.

Making these connections, networking and putting themselves in uncomfortable positions isn’t something students should try just for the sole purpose of helping their careers, it is also something that can be very beneficial in helping students find out more about themselves. Not only will new experiences and new people help to avoid some of life’s hurdles, they will also help students to develop and grow as individuals.

The more students are able to put themselves in uncomfortable positions, whether that be volunteering, staying away from home for a summer to work closer to your academic career or even just making and maintaining friendships, the more luck they will have.

A favorite quote of Reyes by Thomas Jefferson sums up his theory, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

A Fogged Lense: Media arts alumni gives advice to students unsure of their future

By: Nicole Vickers '16 and Mahala Nelson '16

When a student chooses a major, it is generally because they have a specific job in mind. The degree is just means to an end. But for a lot of creative majors such as studio art, creative writing or media arts, sometimes the path isn’t always so clear. 

For Daven Sprattling-Mathies ’07, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with his media arts degree, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying every moment of his college life. 

“I still get teary-eyed thinking about my time at Pacific,” said Sprattling-Mathies. “I remember the big picture, the undocumented value in the experiences I had and the people I met. Not all of those experiences were good, either, but they were all important to who I am now.” 

For many who walk into college with an idea of what they want to become, that can change during the course of their four years of undergraduate. Students may find that what interests them may not be what they originally thought. 

This applies to all students who feel as if they aren’t sure where their education is going to take them. No matter what major a student chooses, there are always options and different doors being opened. As long as they feel that they are going in a positive direction then who knows what kind of opportunities might present themselves. 

“You get out of your education what you put into it, and that goes beyond the classroom,” said Sprattling-Mathies. “I think that's incredibly important for any student to realize, but especially for Media Arts majors who don't have a clear path to follow. You have to motivate yourself to keep going even when it feels like you're stumbling around in the dark.” 

Sprattling-Mathies started as a media major and realized that it was in the technical side that he belonged.

“I think media arts represent the union of the arts and the sciences,” said Sprattling-Mathies. “I also love to write, but I felt I had lot more to learn from video production because of all the tech involved.” 

Once out of college, Sprattling-Mathies found a job working in a bank, but soon realized that it was stifling and so decided to start up a photography business with a fellow Pacific graduate, Corey Bennett ’09. Currently Sprattling-Mathies works in a marketing department and has been able to make seemingly small decisions that have large impacts in his work. He has a personal investment in his company and enjoys his work there. 

 While it isn’t always advisable to quit a career, it is advisable to make sure that whatever job you are working in, that it allows you to have whatever creative freedom you want. If you are stuck in a stifling career, it never hurts to try and do something about it. Whether that is being open to a pay drop or to a new and completely different career path than originally planned, Sprattling-Mathies advises to never forget your passions, be open and know that everyone walks their own path at their own pace.

Alumnus explains importance of campus interactions

By Berkley Holzschuh '14

Forrest Barnes '85

Although athletics was the reason Forrest Barnes ’85 came to Pacific, he stayed because of the opportunities and interactions he was able to benefit from.

“Pacific provided the opportunity to meet, experience and interact with many different people. Not just students, but people like Interior Secretary James Watt, Columnist Bill Buckley, my professors and different guests who spoke on campus,” said Barnes. “It helped me to grow from a farm boy to someone who business people would hire and want on their team.”

Now as the division president at Palm Harbor Homes, one of the nation's largest marketers of factory-built homes, Barnes sets an ideal example of where hard work and honesty will get you.

“I was able to move up in the company by recognizing that people, products and processes made a difference,” said Barnes.

Starting in 1995, Forest Barnes went from sales manager to division president at Palm Harbor Homes. He admits that growing the company is the most rewarding part of his job, but doing what you say you are going to do and being a person who follows through is what Forest said is the “key take away” from his career thus far.

Barnes discussed how important it is for undergraduate students to form connections with potential employers.

“Take advantage of the opportunity to interact. You have the opportunity to attend events and gain the personal interaction skills that develop when you are involved,” said Barnes. “Put down the electronics and experience what the university offers, as it goes by fast.”