Name: George French
Year: Junior
Hometown: Lake Oswego, Oregon
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: What made you decide to come to Cal Lutheran?
George French: “The main reason I came to Cal Lutheran was the financial assistance and scholarships that I recieved. After my parents moved from Washington to Oregon, I was going to have to apply for instate in Washington and go through a long and tedious process. I applied to Cal Lutheran because it had a water polo program, and I thought it would be cool to continue playing in college. After receiving my financial aid package, I decided that Cal Lutheran’s class sizes, professor and student one on one interaction, and the ability to continue playing organized sports was what I wanted from a school.”
HCCLU: What is your favorite part about Cal Lutheran?
GF: “My favorite part about Cal Lutheran is the interactions between professors and students in a one on one setting. Of course you can get extra help if you need it in the professor’s class, but the personal relationships between student and professor push students to go further than just the classroom. Professors open up research opportunities, lead clubs, and have influence in their field of profession. If a student wants to get involved in any subject at Cal Lutheran, their professors can help.”
HCCLU: When did you start playing Water Polo?
GF: “I was introduced to water polo when I was 12, but I didn’t start playing competitively until sophomore year of high school, when I was 15. “
HCCLU: What number and position are you?
GF: “I’m cap number 12, and I’m a utility and 2 meter defender. “
HCCLU: What is your favorite part about playing Water Polo?
GF: “My favorite part about playing water polo is my teammates. Every sport has team camaraderie, but out of all the sports I’ve played, I’ve never been closer to my teammates than on a water polo team. We compete with each other, for each other.”
HCCLU: What was it like to be captain this year?
GF: “Being a captain this year was a surprise since I am a junior, however, it was an amazing opportunity to help organize our team. My senior captain Zack Card and I organized team events, kept our team all on top of our game plan, and were the bridge between coaches and players.”
HCCLU: How did the team do this season?
GF: “Our season started off strong with a 8-6 record going into SCIAC after playing various division 1 and 3 teams. Our SCAIC run was less successful than we wanted, placing 8th in SCIAC, losing our games only by a few points every time. We knew we could beat these teams and committed to practicing to beat these teams in the SCIAC tournament. After hard work, we placed fifth in the SCIAC tournament, beating the 5th and 6th seated La Verne and Chapman. Although we think we could have done even better with a higher tournament seat, we were very happy with how we turned around our SCIAC record. Our over all season record was 13-13, the best the men’s side has had in 5 years. “
HCCLU: What are your goals for next season?
GF: “Next season, we’re aiming to place in the top four in SCIAC and want to push our win/lose record to above 500. With extra practicing in the summer and a more organized Spring training program, we feel our goals will be achieved.”
HCCLU: Who has been your biggest supporter/influence through your water polo career?
GF: “My mother and father have always pushed me to be the best I can be at everything I do. I give them credit for everything I’ve accomplished. But just for my water polo career, my high school water polo coach Evan Kaseguma pushed me to play in college, and I probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t encouraged me like he did. “
HCCLU: What else are you involved in on campus?
GF: “I’m my teams SAAC representative. I’m an organic chemistry departmental assistant for which I tutor, run review sessions, and grade for the organic chemistry classes. I also work in Cal Lutheran’s organic synthesis laboratory with Dr. Jason Kingsbury, where we are currently doing research into the synthesis of vinylaziridines.”
All pictures have been provided by George French.