Firebird Spotlight - Marlena Wright, Women's Cross Country & Track & Field
About Marlena
Marlena Wright is a 2016 graduate and member of the Firebird cross country/track & field program. Although her athletics eligibility is exhausted, Marlena will continue her education at UDC as she seeks certification in the Adult Education program. While she is open to exploring different options, her ultimate goal is to own a production company.
Why UDC?
Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach Alton McKenzie was the catalyst to Marlena’s interest in the University. She described him as very welcoming , similar to her high school coach and noted that her parents were very comfortable with him. Marlena described Washington, D.C. as the place where everything happens and she appreciates the historical aspects of the city. Marlena was comfortable with the size of the University and the fact that “teachers knew who we were.” She also liked the student apartments.
Academics
Because of her interest in reading and writing, Marlena initially pursued journalism as a major. That changed when she took Professor Lloyd Jones’ television production class. “The class was great,” Marlena noted. (She ultimately graduated with a major in Mass Media with a focus on TV Production)
Making it “Hers”
The 2016 Reslyn Henley Award Winner and recipient of the East Coast Conference’s highest honor - the Excellence in Community and Character Award - Marlena experienced a moment at the end of her sophomore year when she decided she expected more of herself academically and wanted to do more than just be a student-athlete. She entered her junior year with a different mentality and ultimately became increasingly involved in activities outside of athletics. “I embraced the Make It Yours motto of Division II and started to enjoy campus community outside of athletics. I enjoyed taking the experience of being a student-athlete and building on it,” she said.
Personal
Marlena has a younger sister and six younger brothers. Her aunt played soccer at UNLV on a full athletic scholarship. Marlena started running track in Jamaica when she was in third grade. When her family moved to Canada at age nine, Marlena played volleyball (which she really enjoyed), and she played basketball. When the family moved to New York, Marlena was a cheerleader in junior high school.
When she started high school, she ran cross country and was faced with the decision to continue playing volleyball or pursue her true love of track. She ended her high school career as a Track All-American and her team won championships during her four years.
A self described “series addict”, Marlena enjoys Netflix. “Glee” is among her favorite shows. Because of her training, Marlena does not enjoy television for purely the story line. She examines all aspects of the production, including how a scene is shot. She enjoys a wide variety of music like karaoke even though she says she can’t sing! As far as food, she says she likes fried dumplings.
On the Track
Marlena admits she over-thinks, “which is not good,” she insisted. “I think about every possible outcome.” She listens to music before each race to try not to think. “I am nervous until I start running.” A highlight of Marlena’s collegiate career was sophomore year, when she competed at Nationals in both indoor and outdoor track & field. “There was so much energy, we really enjoyed the time and each other’s company. Becoming All-Americans in Indoor then repeating outdoor was great.” She is particularly fond of a moment at the NCAA Indoor Championships when she, Jerily Benjamin and Simone Grant were waiting for a race, and, unbeknownst to the group, the camera for the NCAA webcast was on them!
UDC Experience
During her undergraduate experience, Marlena was a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. She enjoyed the spoken word contests and other events the group sponsored.
Marlena also enjoyed producing the Hammer Time videos for the Athletics web, describing them as fun to shoot.
Present Day
Presently Marlena is working full-time with the Renewing Youth Foundation where Marlena will be a tour guide at the Frederick Douglas House. “Experiencing history is cool. The fact that he was self taught yet accomplished so much for others is pretty special. I’ve learned that, like Muhammad Ali said, people should be judged by how they use their talent to help others and better their communities. That is the goal.” In addition, Marlena is interning with Community Partners where she is focusing on fresh food access in underserved communities, mapping obesity rates and will be creating a documentary on the Good Foods grocery store. Also, she is an I C E grant recipient serving an internship which promotes diversity in the Washington, DC area.
Advice
Marlena’s advice for student-athletes: “Don’t put yourself in a box…don’t limit yourself. Step outside your comfort zone. Be more than a student-athlete. Make it yours!”
Quote from Coach Alton McKenzie
“Marlena has been an amazing example of what’s great about Firebird Athletics. She came in as a soft-spoken, and at times, shy young lady, and after four years she is leaving UDC as a confident and super motivated woman. She has accomplished quite a bit on the track, but even more impressively, has had an exemplary collegiate life impacting our campus environment in so many areas. I am beyond proud of the person she has matured into, and I’m excited to see what she achieves going forward.”