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about me
Being born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, I grew up always thinking about everything life has to offer and what I needed to do to gain access. As a child I was extremely playful and energetic. I found interest in sports and physical activity, my sports of choice became volleyball and softball as I got older. I graduated from North Central High School with an honors degree that earned me a scholarship to my dream school, University of Kentucky, to major in kinesiology. Although I was unable to complete my undergraduate studies at UK, I will always bleed blue. The 2020 covid-19 pandemic led me to transfer from UK back home to IUPUI to finish my studies. I have since thrived in my academics and am eager to graduate in December 2022 and start my professional journey.
My favorite extracurricular activity was playing the flute. I started in the 5th grade and took band classes until my junior year of high school when I was 1st chair flutist. In my free time I still practice as a form of relaxation, and this always reminds me of how many activities of daily life require some sort of physical fitness. You can think of any physically demanding profession like dancing or acting, but especially pro sports, and there is a person designated to keep employees at optimal performance levels. Even with my current job waiting tables, I need training to be able to carry heavy trays of food and endurance to stay on my feet for 8-12 hours a day. I noticed when I was younger and consistently active that I had stronger respiratory endurance which allowed for my musical success. I love this example of how fitness knowledge can help in the most unsuspecting activities.
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education
I began my education at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. I always knew kinesiology was the perfect major for me even though I was undecided about my graduate plans. After a few semesters in college I initially thought I wanted to pursue a career in personal training, but I have since decided I want to pursue athletic training with my BS in Kinesiology. I plan on becoming a member of the National Strength And Conditioning Association to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Performance and Sport Scientist. The requirements for both are a bachelors degree and the CPSS recommends either a masters degree in Sports Science or 3 years of professional experience. I am undecided about what graduate program I want to apply for, but I am almost certain I will be ready to continue my education following a few years after undergrad.
career goals
As undergrad comes to an end, I am going into my internships and I will do my best to establish connections to gain post grad employment. Over the summer I will get my NSCA membership and begin studying for the CSCS test that I plan to take before my December 2022 expected graduation. I am enrolled in a full time internship for the fall of 2022 where I am hoping to get experience at St. Vincent Sports Performance. For post grad employment I am interested in working as a physical therapy aide to apply my skills in a clinical setting so that I may be prepared for potential emergencies and injury rehabilitation that could happen at a sporting event. While I decide on a Masters program and study for my CPSS I want to work at a gym that specializes in sport training and conditioning. I do not have a sport of preference right now because I think experience with many sports will be beneficial, but I would be interested in working with baseball or hockey teams in the long run.
Experiences
In the fall of 2021 I got the opportunity to test my knowledge and confidence by teaching an elderly group fitness class at the Legacy Center. This was an eye opening experience that helped narrow my professional career focus to collegiate and pro level athletes. I really enjoyed the spunky personalities I got from the class, but I found myself extremely nervous and worried about causing injury to one of the members. There are unique training opportunities for this demographic, but you have to work within a limited level of intensity and mobility for most clients and that doesn't really excite me. I feel much more comfortable working with and instructing young to middle aged adults because they are still in their biological prime and much less fragile than the average 60-80 year old. I also enjoy being apart of sporting events, and it would be such an honor to be working with the athletes breaking records and winning competitions.
Most jobs in this field that hire people currently in college or with minimal experience do not pay enough to support me, so I am currently working full time as waitress and bartender at Chuy's Tex-Mex restaurant to pay for school, and I can say for sure that I have had many other interesting part time jobs along the way. While I do not get to practice my learning at work, I have gained an endless amount of customer experience throughout my years in the service industry. I have maintained high performance and customer satisfaction rates at any company I've worked for The only job I had related to my education was at Planet Fitness, and that was an eye opener to the truths of the commercial fitness industry. I was saddened by the amount of inconsistent training participants and that discouraged me from wanting to pursue personal training, I hope to take my future work experiences and create a new and improved fitness movement that takes a lot from the more eccentric forms of athletic training.
During my final spring semester I was apart pf IUPUI's personal training program called INshape. The course involved students of kinesiology being paired up with a client to plan and lead them through 2 personal training sessions a week over the course of 9 weeks. Prior to meeting our clients in the gym, we were responsible for having an interview to establish SMART goals that consisted of either cardiovascular, resistance, or flexibility improvements that our clients were hoping to make while working with us. We also took preliminary fitness tests that aligned with our client's specific goals in order to measure their progress at the end of INshape. Through this wonderful opportunity I was able to test my knowledge of exercise science as well as build the confidence I will need to be successful in such a personal career field.
The classes that helped me form my career plan from my fall 2021 semester were exercise physiology and resistance exercise/sports conditioning. I learned about the body's metabolic changes as a result of exercise in various environments, and I got an introduction into the opportunities for sports training. I was never the best athlete when I was younger and as a young perfectionist I was ready to give up, but as I began college I fell in love with the idea of being a person behind the scenes ensuring the safety and top performance of my athletes.
This semester I was also apart of IUPUI's Motor Activity Clinic as a requirement under the curriculum for a class titled Exercise Prescription and Programming for Individuals with Disabilities. The clinic was held in IUPUI's Natatorium and the students were paired with a child that had some sort of disability and we were responsible for planning and executing 3 hours of physical activities once a week for 6 weeks. I was paired with a lovely 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD and she was incredibly smart and talented. We both enjoyed our time together in the pool and in the gym and I learned a lot about modified exercise science. This class helped me tremendously with my patience and flexibility to make last minute changes to a detailed plan based on my clients behavior and physical abilities.