“It’s a lot of work, but to me, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s something I genuinely enjoy doing,” Reese Owens, a junior digital media communications major who plays for the volleyball team, said. “Because it’s like my two passions coming together.”
As both an athlete and a creator of sports media, Owens knows what it is like to be both behind and in front of the camera. As a player, Owens loves having her photo taken, and in turn that fuels her approach to photographing other athletes.
“I want to do my best work for other people,” Owens said. “It’s really fun to be a part of teams other than my own.”
Owens’ motivation is also reflected in the classroom setting. Bailey Hughes, Owens’ teammate and roommate, is also a junior digital media communications major, reflected on her friend’s creativity.
“She’s always looking to be inspired and that inspires me honestly. Just like in a classroom, you can tell she likes to go above and beyond, she likes to do things that no one else is doing and make it stand out,” Hughes said.
Owens continues to go above and beyond as she runs the volleyball team’s Instagram account. While she publishes content that represents the team’s culture, she keeps an audience of prospective students in mind.
“That’s been a big thing for me, trying to make it the best I can not only for us, as Union and for volleyball, but also for other people who are seeing it,” Owens said.
She had the opportunity to stretch her creative wings outside of Union this past summer when she interned for the Nashville Soccer Club.
“It’s kind of cool to see how it all works on a grand scale and how the team works together to push out content for one goal,” Owens said.
When Owens returned from summer break, she had a rough start to the season, breaking her ankle. As we sat on a couch in the volleyball locker room, she had her foot propped up.
“I’ve just kind of been playing through it, I guess,” Owens said.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Once I get in the game and my adrenaline gets going, I can’t really feel it,” Owens said.
Hughes explained how the way Owens has handled her injury is reflective of her character and the kind of teammate she is.
“No matter how much pain she’s in, she’s still going to be the one that pushes you. That’s what a leader is. And that’s what she is to this team,” Hughes said. “Lifting you up on her shoulders, even though she only has one foot to drag.”
Hughes characterized Owens’ perseverance through her injury as reflective of the season they have had.
“It’s been a hurtful season, but if we have the mindset of perseverance, with the right people like Reese, who are persevering every day on the court and off the court, that’s the best thing you can do,” Hughes said.
Off the court, it can be difficult to manage time. However, Owens is still able to prioritize seeking fulfillment in God’s Word.
“I walk out of my room in the morning on the weekends when we do have, you know, a smidge of time off and she’s doing her Bible study,” Hughes said.
Time management is just one of the many skills Owens has learned that she believes she will carry with her after college and into her professional career.
Additionally, she sees how the leadership and teamwork skills she has gained from being on the volleyball team will help her as she moves forward in her career.
As Owens told me about the skills she has gained from working with her teammates, images were lighting up her words in my peripheral vision: a large monitor flipped through a slideshow of the volleyball team.
“I also think just like determination. I’m not a quitter. There’s been a lot of times in my life where I could have just said I’m done, but I don’t know, I just don’t let myself do that. And I think sports has played a big role in that,” Owens said. “If I put my mind to something, I’m gonna get it done.”
After college, Owens hopes to do graphics and photography for either college or professional sports. She finds herself eager to move on from college and to the next chapter.
“Sometimes it’s hard being at school because…” Owens said.
“You’re ready to be out there!” I said.
“Yes!” Owens said.
She has a very confident grasp on what she wants to do with her life, which not many college students can say. This certainty of her calling came when she was able to bridge two of her passions.
Owens explained that her love for creating media and her love for sports were originally separate.
“And then when they came together it was just like a perfect match,” she said. “I was like this is what I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing because it’s enjoyable for me.”
