Future Friday: Q&A with Shana Welch
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Nov. 20, 2015
After representing the block M with pride while they competed for the Maize and Blue, our student-athlete alumni have gone off to become professionals in different areas of their lives. Whether they continued on in their sport, helped to build up a company or started a family, they are building a future. They are building our future. As they leave the University of Michigan campus they go forth with all they learned here to create a better future for us all.
Shana Welch (2004-07) is a member of Michigan's all-decade team. She was a third team AWPCA All-America selection in 2005 and two-time All-America honorable mention in 2006 and 2007. She is the only three-time CWPA Division MVP in school history and was the CWPA Rookie of the Year in 2005. She also garnered nine CWPA Player of the Week honors, tied for second most by a Michigan water polo player.
A native of Larksville, Pennsylvania, Welch finished her career as the all-time leading goal scorer in Michigan history with 297 goals, 60 more than second best. Her 84 goals in 2005 are the most at U-M in a single season and include a school-record eight goals vs. CSU-Bakersfield. She also had a school-record 394 career points with 126 coming in 2007 for a single-season record. After she graduated with a degree in sociology with a focus in social inequality: race, class and gender, Welch went on to play professionally in Australia. She also coached swimming at Bucknell and water polo at Harvard before entering the San Pasqual Reservation Fire Academy in 2013. She is now a firefighter/EMT for the city of Pasadena, California.
Q. What led you to become a firefighter/EMT?
A. I was looking for a change. Something new and exciting to do. I have several friends who are firefighters, and they thought it would be a good fit for me.
Q. What is one of the scariest positions you have been put in?
A. Every day is different, and you never know what lies ahead for you that day when going to work. We, unfortunately, see people on their worst days from car accidents, fires, medical emergencies, etc., so any dangerous situation can be scary. We get so much training to deal with those situations, and it helps us keep to the job at hand when those we are helping are scared.
Q. What is the most rewarding thing about being in public safety?
A. Every day is rewarding. Just being able to help others when they need it. When we get to see those we have helped after the fact and they are grateful for what we do, it always reaffirms why we do what we do.
Q. How did playing water polo help you make it through the fire academy?
A. Water polo and sports in general have helped me in so many ways. During the academy, we were a 10-person unit of cadets. We relied on each other for everything. If one person messed up we all messed up. It is the same for all sports. You have to rely on your teammates, and everyone has to do their job correctly and efficiently in order to be successful, and when we needed help we knew we could rely on each other. Being part of a team is about a balance of strengths and weaknesses. Being yelled at by some coaches along the way helped too haha! You need tough skin when you're in a para-military department. When I was getting yelled at to run faster or do more pushups I felt right at home!
Q. Do you think your sociology degree in race, class and gender help you working in a male-dominated profession?
A. I think sociology and having gone to a liberal arts school has helped me in all aspects of the job. Being in a male-dominated field has its challenges. But if you do your job effectively and do everything that is expected of you then it doesn't matter. You show up to work and get the job done. I think it's helped me more interacting with our patients. We deal with so many different types of people every day from all backgrounds. Having an understanding of how people work helps.
Q. Do you look at yourself as a role model for young females in paving the way for more female firefighters?
A. I do. I hope that in anything we do in life we do it the best we can so we can be a role model for those who come after us. It's a challenging career both mentally and physically, and as a woman you do have to work harder physically to be able to do everything. I hope that all little girls and women know they can be a firefighter, police officer, engineer, military or anything else if that's what they really want to do. But you have to work hard. You aren't just handed things. And I'm always more than happy to help others who are interested in this career, male or female.
Q. You have a lot of certifications. What is your favorite and what was the hardest to get?
A. I think my favorite was Swift Water Rescue! Naturally, I was excited about doing water rescues. There is a lot more training that I can get where I get to jump into rushing water. I look forward to getting to do that! They were all challenging and took hours of training. So I'd say each was challenging in its own way to get.
Q. Describe your experience playing professionally after college?
A. It was fun! I got to do what I love and travel at the same time. It was an awesome experience. I was in Australia and Greece, and they were both totally different experiences with language barriers in Greece and different foods and culture. It really was a great learning experience and allowed me to keep getting better and learn new things in water polo as well.
Q. You dipped your toes into coaching both swimming and water polo. How was being a coach?
A. I loved/love coaching! I would say they were some of the most fun years of my adult life. It really is a labor of love. I think when I got back from playing in Greece I was just looking for a change. I still coach as a volunteer at Long Beach State, so it's fun to still get to coach occasionally because I really do love it, and I love being a part of water polo still.
Q. What is your biggest takeaway from being a Michigan student-athlete?
A. It's so hard to narrow this one down. Being a Michigan student-athlete is so many things. It's about family, it's about respect for others and yourself and for Michigan, it's about hard work and dedication, and fun, it's about values, and honesty, and being a good person. It's about learning. The beautiful thing about Michigan is those things stay with you forever, and no one can ever take them away. You make your Michigan experience what you want. And take that with you forever. How amazing is that??
Q. How did Michigan prepare you for life after college?
A. I'm not sure if anything can really prepare you for life after college except life after college! But everything I mentioned above, it taught me how to be a good person and to live a good life, it shapes you. It also taught me some awesome football cheers that I get to use on football Saturdays forever too. I find that most helpful when around Ohio State fans.
Q. What advice would you give to current and future Wolverine student-athletes?
A. Work hard, have fun, and take advantage of every day because it goes by fast, and when you're long graduated and someone asks you what part of your life you could go back to, you're always going to respond with your time at Michigan. Don't ever look back and say "I could have been" or "I should have been." Work hard and get it done now and don't forget to enjoy it!
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