Portland State Magazine Spring 2009

l .I l something I could stay interested in," she says. "I read every textbook cover to cover. I didn't want to just get good grades, I wanted to know the material." She also made the track and field team, first as a sprinter, but switching to hammer and shoe put on the advice of her coaches. It was good advice. After a stellar throwing career at PSU-including setting PSU records for shot put and ham– mer throw and being named Big Sky Conference champion for rwo years-Sims is working on qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. Although track kept her "busy beyond full time," Sims also found time to mentor athletes, serve rwo years as team captain, and volunteer at track and field activities AFTER GRADUATION, Sims landed her dream job work– ing at the Boeing Company's Portland fabrication manufac– turing facility, where she had shined as a student intern. Sims is a supply chain management analyse coordinating materials from suppliers to workers on the shop floor. "I make sure suppliers understand the needs of our manu– facturing and industrial engineers," explains Sims, "and then I check cl1e quality of delivered products and take care of problems if there are any." Boeing allows Sims to begin work at 5: 15 a.m. so she can spend afternoons training for the Olympics with Mac Wilkins, former Olympic gold and silver medalist in cl1e discus. Sims has three sisters who have now followed her footsteps into college, and she's ready to tackle her next goal-earning a master's degree while working full time and training rwo to three hours a day for the Olympics. 'Tm just excited about life," says Sims. "I have my degree. I feel I could do anything." ■ SPRING 2009 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 15