Campus Celebrity – Ana Montoya
Year: Sophomore
Major: English and Psychology
Hometown: Morgan Hill, California
Favorite Food: Mac n’ Cheese
Favorite Movie: Fantastic Mr. Fox or Juno
Fun Fact: I’ve lived in over 4 different states.
1. You are on the crew team at LMU. What are the most difficult and most rewarding aspects of that?
The most difficult aspect is definitely waking up early every morning. Rowing also requires a thick skin, especially the Men’s Rowing team. It’s not always rainbows and sunshine; it’s early in the morning, people are tired, and when you’re in the boat you don’t always have time for politeness. Yelling is common during practice, whether it comes from the coach, the rowers, or the coxswains. In order to excel on a team like rowing, it’s important to realize that getting yelled at/scolded for a mistake is not the end of the world—we all mess up sometimes. You just have to brush it off and do better next time, because that’s when the really rewarding stuff happens; when you finally feel yourself growing not only as a member of the team, but as a human being.
2. You are also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, one of LMU’s on-campus sororities. How do you balance doing that with being an athlete?
It’s not always easy. Sorority meetings are late at night, Rowing practices are early in the morning, and on top of all of that I’m also a double-major in English and Psychology. Honestly, it’s all about time management, which includes scheduling everything from study time to nap breaks. I’m lucky that it’s possible for me to balance both Greek Life as well as Athletics, which is in part because of rare schedule conflicts, as well as the fact that I make a conscious effort to prioritize Athletics for weekends, and focus on Kappa Alpha Theta during the weekdays.
3. What is your dream job?
My dream job is to become an author, no question. English isn’t just my major, it’s my passion—I don’t think I would truly feel fulfilled in life if I wasn’t writing. If I had to choose a second option though? Paleontologist.
4. What has been your favorite memory at LMU thus far?
My favorite memory at LMU thus far happened my second semester freshman year when a group of us celebrated my friend’s birthday with a bonfire at Dockweiler beach the first weekend back on campus. It was sandy, and poorly planned, but somehow after three hours of shivering in the cold we finally got a fire going, and made s’mores under the starlight all night long. During our simple celebration, the people of Los Angeles decided to congregate at that time, on that beach, to burn all of their Christmas trees from the previous week. So there, on the beach, covered in sand and marshmallows, my friends and I danced by the bonfire at least 10 feet high, blasting music with all the other people who appeared, attracted by the flames. It was kind of magical.