DURHAM, N.C. - Lauren Cooper hasn't had a lot of chances to reflect on her time at Duke University.
The senior from Warsaw is set to graduate from the prestigious North Carolina university in the spring with a degree in public policy.
While a full class load might be enough, Cooper is also the co-captain for Duke's cheerleading squad."It's been great," said Cooper. "I never expected to cheer when I got (to Duke), but now I can't imagine doing anything else."
Cooper was a cheerleader at Warsaw Community High School. While at WCHS she was also the student body president.
When she arrived on campus at Duke, she didn't plan on being a cheerleader. But she decided to give it a try and made the white squad her freshman year.
The cheerleading squad is divided into the white and blue squads. The white squad is like the junior varsity squad while the blue squad is the varsity.
Cooper said she's enjoyed the traveling that comes with being a college cheerleader.
She said she enjoyed a trip with the men's basketball team this year that sent her to New York City to cheer in the renowned Madison Square Garden.
The highlight for Cooper though is when Duke takes on its biggest rival.
"The Duke-North Carolina games at Duke are really exciting and great to be a part of," said Cooper.
Cooper also highlighted trips to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Boston and Washington, D.C.
However, it was a trip to Evanston, Ill., when Duke's football team played Northwestern that may stick out the most.
Being only 2.5 hours away, Cooper got to see family and friends who traveled to the Chicago suburb to see her cheer.
"To be able to see my parents and all my friends at the game was really special," said Cooper.
Cooper, who admittedly "likes to stay busy," has worked at Biomet during the summer, studied abroad in Greece, and worked in Indianapolis with state policy. She also works as an intern at the public policy school at Duke.
In November, Cooper was featured in Sports Illustrated as the Cheerleader of the Week.
Currently, Cooper is applying for jobs as she gets set to graduate.
She is the daughter of Gary and Shayna Cooper, and has a brother, John.
