California dreamin’: Junior seeks to move westward after college

Today, junior Lindsay Gray is in the pages of Broadside. Tomorrow, she will make headlines in Hollywood.

Casted as one of the top players on the George Mason University women’s tennis team, Gray is an English major with a concentration in non-fiction writing, with a communication minor.

Mason is the first stop on Gray’s journey to the world of entertainment. After graduation, the second stop will be California.

“I want to move out to L.A,” said Gray. “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was little to be out in Hollywood. In the back of my mind, I want to be famous, but I understand that it is a really hard profession. It’s so competitive.”

Gray is heading to California for the summer, where she will be interning for the second time with Dick Clark Productions.

“I feel like getting out there, getting my feet wet,” said Gray. “Interning at Dick Clark Productions sort of gets me in the door a little bit, and [helps in] getting to know what they look for.”

California dreams aside, Gray keeps herself busy during the school year with tennis, academics and extracurricular activities.

Gray is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and is also involved in the National Collegiate Athletic Association recertification committee at Mason.

Gray also finds time to update her weekly blog at http://www.savemoneybethrifty.blogspot.com. She decided to stop using her debit card and go on a cash-only budget.

In her blog, Gray reflects about the budget and gives tips on cost-cutting tactics.

With all of these commitments and the demands of being a student-athlete, managing time is crucial in Gray’s routine.
“I make a lot of to-do lists,” said Gray. “I make lists about making lists, like ‘remember to make a list about your list for this class,’ or ‘make SAAC list.’ Sometimes I stop and think, ‘why am I spending so much time making lists? I need to just go do it.’”

With the Colonial Athletic Association women’s tennis tournament coming up at the end of April, Gray’s schedule will be even busier.

“You have to sacrifice a lot that other people, [like] non-athletes, don’t have to think about . . . as much,” said Gray. “But it is an honor to be able to play a sport for a Division I athletic program.”

Gray has been a key player for the women’s tennis team since her freshman year. She played in the No. 1 position both years and finished last season with a record of 11-12.

This season, Gray has a 12-9 overall record. The team has just logged their 14th win this season, setting a new school record.

Gray started playing tennis when she was 7 years old and fell in love with the sport.

“I definitely want to keep [tennis] in my life, but I’m not sure that I want to train and give up other things,” said Gray. “I love learning, working and being busy, but I’m interested in having a career outside of tennis.”