What do I want to do with my life with graduation quickly approaching? I have several goals in mind, which include becoming a full-time cross-country and track coach, expanding my knowledge in women's health, and to effectively promote positive youth development through sport.  

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During my time at Western Michigan University (WMU), I had the opportunity to be a graduate teaching assistant within the human performance and health education college. I taught 15 health and wellness classes a week, with topics ranging from nutrition, alcohol consumption, relaxation techniques, and sexual health, as well as jogging, rock climbing, and aerobic fitness classes. This experience showed me that I love teaching and leading. I have always been a natural leader through my sport, and I learned that I wanted to make that my lifestyle. I was drawn to the Master of Arts in Education (MEAD) program at Michigan State University because of the Sport Coaching and Leadership concentration. I wanted to learn about effective communication with athletes, athlete development, and psychology behind training, which were components all offered within the MEAD program. After achieving a kinesiology-based undergraduate degree, I wanted to take a different approach to my graduate studies. I think coaching often gets overlooked as a form of teaching. There is a lot of research, education, and practice that goes into being an influential coach, and the MEAD program helped me develop a strong understanding of how to be a positive mentor to students and student-athletes. 

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My main goal post-graduation is to become a full-time cross-country and track coach, either at the high school level or the collegiate level. I want to create a team where students grow and develop as athletes, and as successful people finding their way in the world. Coaches play powerful and influential roles in athletes' lives. When I tell people I am wrapping up my master’s degree in education, their first question is always “what topic do you teach?”. My answer is this; I do not teach inside a classroom with books and deadlines. Rather, my teaching takes place at practice, on the track, at a meet, and in the weight room. I get to teach my students how to take care of their bodies, how to build lifelong skills, and how to find joy in sport. In the fall of 2021, I had the opportunity to coach at Forest Hills Eastern High School (FHE) in Grand Rapids and it was an amazing experience. Not only was it a great learning experience to solidify my passion for working with athletes, but it also proved that the MEAD program prepared me to coach well. This opportunity has set me up with the knowledge necessary to apply to coaching positions at the university level. 

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Along with my coaching, I would like to further my knowledge on how to build training cycles around women's hormone levels and changes. Eating disorders, body image, and injuries are prominent in the world of athletics, and I believe that if more light was shed on these important topics, we can prevent them and help our student-athletes grow stronger both physically and mentally. I will do this by attending online workshops and clinics hosted by Taryn Sheehan at Yale University (who also happens to be my former collegiate track coach), as well as reading articles posted by Runners World (a great example here). My third goal post-college is to promote positive youth development through sports. I will pursue this passion by staying up to date and attending professional development workshops through the Search Institute. Ultimately, I want to combine my passions into my career: nutrition, sleep, women’s health, athletics, running, leading, and teaching. Whether that takes me to high school cross country, college athletics, athletic administration, or athletic directing, I want to give students the opportunity to learn and grow through sport.