
BOSTON – Lauren Spencer, a four-year midfielder for the Suffolk women’s soccer team from 2011-14, took her talents from the pitch to the gridiron post-graduation. No, she’s not in the hustle and bustle playing on the field, instead you can find her on the sidelines of historic stadiums across the country smart phone in hands to capture behind-the-scenes footage as the Social Media Supervisor for the six-time Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots. Ram Nation recently caught up with Spencer for a Q&A prior to the 2020 NFL campaign.
Since Suffolk, you’ve moved into the work field. Could you describe your current occupation, what company you work for and the role you have?
I currently work for the New England Patriots as the Social Media Supervisor. I handle all the day-to-day posting on our social channels including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and work with an awesome creative team to come up with new content ideas and keep our fans informed, entertained and engaged.
How did you land your job?
I tried to get as much experience as possible during college, which Suffolk was super helpful with given its close proximity to so many great opportunities in the heart of Boston. During my last semester at Suffolk, I interned with the Boston Celtics which was just steps away from campus. That led me to a full-time internship with the Tennessee Titans after I graduated, and from there I got an opportunity to come back to New England with the Patriots.
Is this your dream job?
Definitely! I’m fortunate to get to do what I love in a pretty exciting environment, and I work with some awesome people that make the job a lot of fun.
Describe your typical work day.
A typical work day for me changes throughout the year – the most consistent part is managing and posting to our social accounts on a daily basis – but during the season, a typical work day could involve going out to cover practice, running to a community event, attending a press conference, or capturing content with players during their media availability period. Game days call for a much different schedule, but we cover everything from warmups to game action and post-game press conferences, and this is definitely the best day of the work week.
What’s the most surprising part of your job?
I think one of the most surprising parts of social in general is how much behind-the-scenes work can go into one short post. As we all scroll through our feeds on a daily basis, that’s not something most people think about, but for any given video, article, graphic or whatever we happen to be sharing, it all starts with an idea, a brainstorm and then requires a lot of teamwork and execution before it’s actually brought to life.
What’s the biggest perk of your job?
Game days, traveling with the team, and of course the Super Bowls have all been awesome, but I think from a content perspective, having the ability to share people’s stories, make someone’s day or showcase the ways our players and organization are giving back to the community are the most rewarding parts.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the fact that I get to work with a great content team and showcase our work to so many people on a daily basis, all while representing an awesome organization that’s defined success for me personally since I was a little kid.
What is your favorite memory at work?
The Super Bowls are most certainly my favorite memories – particularly Super Bowl LI. So much hard work goes into those weeks leading up, and then to cover the game itself and to be on the field postgame is just an amazing and exciting experience.
How did Suffolk prepare you for your role?
Suffolk helped me get a lot of internship opportunities in and around Boston that definitely helped me build my resume as I was pursuing a career in sports. I also had some great professors that helped me become a better writer and expand my skillset along the way.
What’s your favorite Suffolk memory?
Definitely playing soccer and being involved in Suffolk Athletics. Like I mentioned before, I met my best friends there and had so much fun continuing my athletic career at Suffolk.
What advice do you have for current students?
I think no experience is bad experience when it comes to building your resume and landing a job you want. Reach out to people working in the field you’re interested in and get as much advice as possible. And definitely enjoy every minute of your time at Suffolk – it goes by so fast and they are some of the best years.
What made you choose Suffolk?
I liked the fact that Suffolk was right in the middle of Boston, but also not too far from home for me. I had a lot of fun socially in the city environment and was also close by to a lot of career opportunities as well.
Outside of work, what is your life like? I.E. family, kids, what do you do for fun, etc?
I currently live in Brighton, right outside of Boston and love hanging out with my Suffolk friends still in our spare time. I love to run in the city and I’ve run two Boston Marathons so far.
Ram Nation has the chance to stay in touch with Lauren Spencer by following her on Instagram and Twitter @LaurenSpencer6, and course if you aren't already she encourages you to follow @Patriots.
Are you a Suffolk Athletics alum who would like to revisit with Ram Nation? Contact Sports Information Director Amy Barry at abarry7@suffolk.edu.