Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Alabama, Florida, Colorado, California -- Lauren Dorrell has lived there and done that. Her journey has led her all over the country and into the lives of so many people. What would she title her extraordinary story? It's simple.
"It would have to be something fun and something catchy. 'Not your average Cindorrella story' with Dorrell infused in the title."
This lively attitude and creative wit have been her signature since her earliest days of competitive cheerleading, gymnastics and even riding equestrian.
Lauren has had a special leader and mentor in her life from the very beginning -- her father. Karl Dorrell is the current head football coach at the University of Colorado. He also has experience coaching at UCLA and a number of other universities. He's also spent time in the National Football League with the Texans, Dolphins, Broncos and Jets.
"My dad is my hero," she said. "He is my biggest inspiration. I have so much respect and admiration for him. Everything I do is to illustrate what both he and my mom instilled in my brother and I.
"His parenting, experiences and position as a football coach have given us so much mental strength. My brother, Chandler, and I are so competitive and coachable. We always want to get better because of what our dad taught us. If anything, I wouldn't be the type of person or player that I am without my father's knowledge, impact and coaching in and out of sports."
It was that family support that led Dorrell to make the decision to transfer from Colorado following the 2018 season.
After being recruited by Auburn a second time, Dorrell made the decision to visit the Plains.
"When transferring, I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than just a student-athlete experience," she said. "I wanted to be proud of my alma mater.
"Once I visited, it was a no-brainer type of decision. Beautiful campus, family feel, Auburn spirit -- I wanted it all. I wanted to say that I graduated from Auburn and look at what I did while I was there.
"There is just so much pride that this school takes in its athletes and its athletic department. Because of that, you're held to a standard that not many other schools hold you to. You want to be at an elite standard because it is Auburn. You want to be the best you can be for this university and for its fans."
In 2019, Dorrell was sidelined with an injury, seeing time in only five matches over the course of the season. While she may have been unable to go full force on the court, she certainly brought it in the classroom, earning a position on the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
A sociology major, Dorrell finds herself immersed in learning and already applying her degree to real-life situations.
"I think sociology is major that people undermine," she said. "They say 'Oh, that's just an easy degree.' They don't see the importance of it. It is so vital to understand society and yourself and to be able to help others do that also, especially today.
"I already apply sociology to my everyday life now. I try to bring empathy wherever I go and be an open-minded person. I want to speak for people, in the correct way, who can't speak for themselves. I want to bring awareness to topics that need to be at the forefront of society."
One of those topics near to her heart is the Black Lives Matter movement. Dorrell is active in promoting equality and championing change.
"I think that as student-athletes we are blessed with a platform and fanbase, where it would be an injustice to not speak out on issues that you think are important," Dorrell said. "[To me,] Black Lives Matter is bigger than just the organization and who coined the phrase. The movement itself is a human rights movement. It's not meant to divide. It's meant to speak up for those who have been oppressed and those who have dealt with trauma and continue to deal with trauma and not be seen."
Dorrell emphasizes the nature of the movement as one built on respect and unity. One of her goals is to help those who don't understand the true meaning behind the movement see it as something attempting to build a better future and not something that places blame on individuals for past mistakes.
"I know people don't agree with what anyone says all the time, but you have to be open enough to have a conversation, an intelligent and objective conversation," she said. "Try not to get too emotional towards one side or another and just listen. I know that it's hard to hear someone say that this is happening when you aren't black or a person of color. You kind of feel like you're being blamed, but that's not the intention of this movement."
She encourages others to take a walk in someone else's shoes and realize that just because you may have never faced racial prejudice or injustice, that does not mean it ceases to exist.
"You can't undermine lives, stories, experiences and even statistics just because it hasn't happened to you," she said. "This is an extremely intimate topic with a lot of student-athletes. It's very sensitive and very close to our hearts because it is our lives. Anything you say negatively towards it, we take it as disregard for our well-being.
"We are not calling for divide, we are calling for unity. At the end of the day, all we want is unity, human rights and respect. We want to discuss this with the Auburn community. We are letting them in on something that's huge and traumatic. In order for us to get through it, we need the support of the Auburn Family."
Dorrell and fellow Auburn student-athletes are actively seeking ways to productively engage the local community to take a stand for justice. She has created a Linktree on her social media platforms with links to different racial injustice foundations as well as links to information regarding other hardships affecting humanity today. She insists that she is always open to conversation and advocates for the use of Google Scholar to learn more about social injustice from academic and peer-reviewed sources.
A promising future full of change, growth and learning is exactly what Dorrell is hoping for. She also has a bright future ahead on the volleyball court thanks to the help of some newfound coaching.
With a new head coach, Brent Crouch, and staff on the Plains, the Auburn volleyball program is set to undergo a metamorphosis of sorts itself. Crouch and staff have wasted no time in teaching the team what it means to be a competitor on and off the court.
"From the short time that we've had together, our team has grown so much in all aspects: as athletes, as students and as humans," she said.
"To see the growth that I've had as a senior and see just how exponential my growth was has been very eye-opening for me. It really unleashes what we can be capable of as a team and what I am capable of as an individual. I tell the girls all the time that I'm jealous I'm a senior. I wish I was a freshman. I wish I had three more years under these coaches, because they are great coaches. They have an 'eyes on the prize' type of mentality, but they aren't sacrificing our well-being to get there."
Dorrell and company will open the season under their new leadership on Oct. 21 against Florida inside Auburn Arena. Her message regarding the season? "All we want to do is compete and play volleyball. We're ready to get to work."
A final thought from Dorrell, something to remember whether it be applied to sports, life, social justice or everything between -- a quote from Marianne Williamson.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
"It's a reminder that even in your lowest of lows, you are not inadequate or less than, you are as powerful as you want to be," she said. "You can accomplish anything you set out to do, regardless of the circumstance. Be who you are and be powerful, as a result, good things will follow suit."
