In the future, Lauren hopes to work as an event coordinator for a sports organization. When she isn’t studying, she enjoys taking walks with her friends and watching movies.

Get to know Lauren 

  • Major: Event management
  • Minor: Hospitality management 
  • Class: Senior
  • Hometown: Galva, Illinois
  • Career goal: Work as event coordinator for the Chicago Cubs or another sports organization
  • Clubs/activities: Event Management Club, Kairos, CHS Ambassador
  • Awards/honors: Dean’s list
  • Favorite place on campus: MacKay Hall or Student Innovation Center
  • Most influential ISU mentor: Jamie Beyer and Chin-Hsun (Ken) Tsai
  • Favorite Class: EVENT 383X, Sports Event Management
  • Why Iowa State: The great campus and event management program

Lauren Landis accumulates event experience working at the ISU Alumni Center

Growing up with two older brothers, Lauren Landis was always being dragged along to sporting events. Being exposed to these high-energy environments at a young age instilled in her a passion for sports—something she would later integrate into her future career path. 

Now, a senior majoring in event management, Lauren has immersed herself in many opportunities to advance her knowledge of the event management industry. During the fall of 2019, she started working for the ISU Alumni Center where she regularly helps execute a variety of events.

“I knew this was a good opportunity for me to dip my toe into the industry to see, one, if this is really something I’m going to enjoy and, two, to further figure out what kind of events I want to be working when I start my career,” Lauren said. 

During the spring of 2020, Lauren began working as the Lora & Russ Talbot event intern for the ISU Alumni Association. After being selected for the position through an application process, she was given more responsibilities at the alumni center—including working directly with clients.

“For the internship, I actually did the planning process,” Lauren said. “I worked with the clients to figure out all the details and everything they were wanting for the event.”

Lauren also faced challenges during her internship that surfaced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She learned the value of effective communication and how to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

“When all the events were cancelling we had so many people reaching out,” Lauren said. “It was really important to just communicate and be open with them.”

Working at the ISU Alumni Center has been a great learning experience for Lauren and has helped confirm she is on the right career path. She specifically enjoys working sports-related events and tailgates the center holds.

“With sports comes a lot of the banquets and meetings, which I definitely now would say I have experience in,” Lauren said. “I really enjoyed planning those and working with those customers.”

Through her job experiences and the effective teaching styles her professors offer, Lauren feels adequately prepared to step into the workforce after graduation. 

“I have loved every second that I’ve been at Iowa State,” Lauren said. “I love all the professors within [event management]. They have done an amazing job with teaching all of us and a really good job with hands-on experience.”