What is your current employment or education?

Head Athletic Trainer for Moore Wellness Systems. Waterloo, Iowa.

Briefly describe how your UNI graduate program prepared you for your current role, profession, career, or research?

My time at UNI prepared me for a smooth transition from getting my graduate degree to working as an athletic trainer. My professors provided me with a hands-on, in-depth curriculum that made me develop the skills that would allow me to perform well and succeed. The program also created strong critical thinking skills that have been hugely beneficial as I work on my PhD.

Name one or two faculty/staff members who positively influenced your graduate experience at UNI. How did they impact you?

Two faculty members with whom I still communicate with are Dr. Mark Hecimovich and Dr. Tricia Schrage. Dr. Hecimovich helped me develop a respect and love for research and has been my biggest mentor. Dr. Schrage is a phenomenal listener and gives the best advice. I still reach out to her even now when I need some words of wisdom.

What course, project, activity, conference, or experience at UNI was most intellectually stimulating? 

Working on my research project was the most intellectually stimulating project I did while at UNI. Not only did this research introduce me to data collection and writing a research paper, but I was also able to present it at the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Society Annual Meeting, won both 1st place and People's Choice at UNI's 3MT Competition, go on to compete in Chicago with my research, and finally have the manuscript accepted for publishing just a few months ago.