McDonald’s now a heavy hitter in crime lab
Lauren O’Pry was a basketball and softball standout during her days at Parkers Chapel. Twenty-two years later, now-Lauren McDonald is still a heavy hitter on a team, but the stakes are much higher. McDonald is currently a Chief Forensic Chemist at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock.
McDonald graduated from PC in 1998 before attending University of the Ozarks, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 2002. She then attended Southeast Missouri State University and achieved a Master of Natural Science in Applied Chemistry in 2004.
McDonald entered college with a blank slate as far as her career plans.
“Coming from a sports background, entering college I initially planned to become a math teacher and coach basketball,” she said. “My freshman chemistry instructor really turned
me onto chemistry, and I loved it. I realized during my first couple of years in college that teaching was a true calling, and I didn’t feel the call. So, I declared chemistry as my major and vowed to figure the rest out later.
“By the start of my senior year, I still didn’t really know what I planned to do with my chemistry degree. I applied for a graduate assistantship at Southeast Missouri State University that would cover a Masters degree education and pay me a stipend to teach labs to students,” she continued. “They offered a Masters of Natural Science in Applied Chemistry with Forensic Emphasis. The Masters program would allow me hands-on time in a forensic laboratory to determine if that was a good path for me while paying me to get an advanced degree. It was a win-win situation. I was exposed to multiple forensic disciplines and fell in love with the drug chemistry portion.”
Changing a career path from high school math teacher and basketball coach to working as a forensic scientist is a pretty wide curve. The decision wasn’t made on a whim. McDonald credited a solid foundation for helping to keep her on a solid path, even if it was in a different direction than she’d originally planned.
“I credit my parents with setting me on the right path, raising me to be a respectful, coachable, and growth-oriented individual,” she said. “I’m opinionated and head-strong, so I am certain I gave them a run for their money. In addition to my parents, I feel my participation in sports really prepared me for a career in several ways.
“Sports instills teamwork, which is essential to almost every career,” she added. “Coaches are constantly giving — yelling — feedback to you, both negative and positive. You learn how to take that negative feedback and turn it into something you can build on … improve yourself in some way. And finally, sports teach you how to win graciously and how to accept loss. You will fail in life. We all do. The failure doesn’t define you. How you react defines you.”
McDonald married her husband Alex on November 11, 2011. Also a chemist, they met at the lab, where he has moved into the role of Health & Safety Manager.
“Alex is my biggest cheerleader,” she said. “He truly multiplies the joys and divides the sorrows.”
As for McDonald’s future, she said she’s already found her dream job.
“I would love to remain a leader in our laboratory until retirement, working to continue to grow our agency and its future leaders,” she said. “It’s hard to believe I’ve already worked there for 15 years.”