DWB Alum Update: 2001 Graduate Rochelle Parent

DURHAM, N.C.— Over the summer, the Blue Devils have been catching up with Duke women's basketball alumnae to see what they have been up to since leaving Durham. Up next is 2001 graduate Rochelle Parent. One of the best Duke players at drawing charges, Parent took 71 charges over her final two seasons and was a two-time All-ACC Defensive team selection. She was a four-year letterwinner from 1998-2001. Parent was a part of Duke's first ACC Championship squad in 2000 and first NCAA Final Four squad in 1999.

Since graduating from Duke, what have you been up to?
When I left school I played in Luxembourg for two years before returning to the United States to begin my career. Since then I have lived in four states and worked in nine different cities from Charleston, S.C. to New York City. When I lived in Jersey City, N.J. I met my best friend and future partner in crime, Ashante. We now live in Raleigh, NC and are raising the most amazing little girl, Lena. She is three-years-old and the smartest, funniest little human being. She makes my world revolve.
I work for a software company in Durham called TransLoc. We provide software for public transit agencies, universities, private corporations and their riders to help them move more people in the most efficient and cost effective way possible. We are at the forefront of helping public transit agencies disrupt their own industry from the inside out with our Microtransit solution and I am the lead project manager for our Microtransit team.

You had the opportunity to play overseas after school. What was that experience like?
Playing in Luxembourg was amazing. I had the opportunity to be paid to travel which is an opportunity that most people are not afforded. I am grateful for that. More importantly I was able to broaden my perspective as a human and refocus the lens through which I view the world. I left for Luxemborg shortly after 9/11 and I came back shortly after the inception of the war in Iraq. It was very interesting time to be outside of the United States viewing the perceptions of my country's policies and culture through the media and opinions of people from other countries. I became far more inclusive and began to think more critically about the things going on around me and my space in the world. My experience living overseas shaped my some of my goals for my own child in ensuring that she is well-traveled and has the opportunity to view the world as holistically as possible.

Since you live around the area, how often are you able to catch DWB games?
I actually live in Raleigh so I do not get to as many Duke games as I would like to. I usually make it to one or two a season but I do try to catch the team on television whenever possible.

You have a group of teammates from Duke that you are able to stay in touch with regularly, how special are those friendships you created in college?
Nothing in life will be able to replicate the type of relationships that I developed with my teammates in college. The same goes for a group of teammates from high school that are still my close friends. Team sports allow you to develop a bond that is very specific to a set of circumstances, place and time that is unique. In an effort to not create confusion for this article I will use everyone's maiden names. I still stay in consistent contact with Nicole Erickson, Georgia Schweitzer, Lauren Rice, Krista Gingrich, Missy West, Vicki Kraphol, Michele Matyasovsky and Michel Van Gorp. Yet even my teammates who I do not speak to as often still hold a special place in my heart and when we all get together it is like old times. For instance, Nicole Erickson was in Durham recently and I was able to see Payton Black, Peppie Browne and Jeff Powell who was one of our key practice players. It was so much fun.

Since leaving Duke, who are a few DWB players you have enjoyed watching play?
Immediately after leaving I loved following up on my former teammates such as Vicki Kraphol, Michele Matyasovsky and Alana Beard. But since then I am still a fan of several players who followed who continued to make history. During college and into the pros I still try to catch the likes Alana Beard, Monique Currie, Lindsey Harding, Elizabeth Williams, Jasmine Thomas and Chelsea Gray when I can. My partner is a collegiate coach so that helps in guaranteeing that if there is a good game on we are watching it.

Do you get a chance to play basketball any these days?
I do not. I actually have not played in any organized way since coming back from Europe.

When looking back on your days at Duke, what are some of your favorite memories?
My favorite memories all involve just sitting around whether in someone's apartment, on the bus or at training table laughing at each other and our coaches. Those four years were some of the most challenging but funniest times of my life. Winning the Ease Regional Championship to make it to the Final Four for the first time in our program's history will always be a defining moment and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.

While at Duke, you were an exceptional rebounder and you are the best Blue Devils at drawing charges. Where did you learn that talent of drawing charges?
I have never really thought of It as a talent but it is likely a combination of things. I have a flare for the dramatic so that theatrical pre-disposition is helpful in drawing charges. In addition, I do think that maybe nature helped me out. I am naturally very clumsy. To counter that my body developed what I think are advanced reflex skills. It is not very often that I something falls off of a table or from a cabinet that I do not catch it before it hits the ground. It has helped with being a mother who has a daughter who likes to jump off of furniture at a moments notice with the expectation that you will catch her. Taking charges is much the same thing. The trajectory of physical objects is not extremely varied. Once you get a sense of where something might be going, you can narrow down the options and anticipate the rest.

Have you developed any new hobbies, etc., that you are involved with these days?
As of late I have actually been diving into film and writing for film. It was always a goal of mine to have better representation of people of color and other minorities in visual mediums. The images that my daughter sees are extremely important to me and I want to contribute to ensuring that she has a diverse and nuanced representation of herself in the content that she sees and with which she interacts.

How has a Duke degree helped you?
My Duke degree has been invaluable. I am almost positive that it has caught the attention and intrigue of some companies by itself. More valuable, however, is the people that I met at Duke both on and off the court. I was surrounded by extremely intelligent people both academically and emotionally everywhere that I turned. The way that I was challenged at Duke and the resulting problem-solving and critical thinking skills that were a result of those challenges are more valuable than solely having the name “Duke” on my profile.

DWB Alum Update: 2001 Graduate Rochelle Parent

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