Laina Gustafson joined the leadership team of Dragonfly Initiative in early fall 2024. She leads the Dragonfly Blog and serves as a content writer and editor, as well as conducting external research on student-athlete mental health. Laina is a Journalism major and Environmental Studies minor at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the Emerson Women’s Lacrosse team. She is excited to share the ups and downs of being a Division III athlete, the female athlete experience and the challenges of balancing life and work.

Outside of Dragonfly, Laina works as a staff reporter for Emerson’s news shows WEBN and “Good Morning Emerson,” and as an Editorial Intern reporter for the Times-Tribune. She grew up in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, and played a variety of sports throughout her childhood. Laina graduated from Middleton High School in 2024 after four years on the varsity lacrosse and volleyball teams. As a lifelong athlete and sports fan, she deeply appreciates the value of working as a team. Laina’s experiences in a variety of multimedia and written journalism, as both in a small Midwestern town and a large East Coast city, have shaped the journalist she is today.