Exercise Science Archives - è��ͷ�� University

Abbey Smith ’18

è��ͷ�� University — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 00:45:31 +0000

GWU Exercise Science major pursues career in Occupational Therapy

“I believe the courses at è��ͷ��, specifically my Exercise Science courses, have truly prepared me for my graduate school program.”

Recruited to play soccer at è��ͷ�� University, Abbey Smith of Oxford, N.C., chose to major in exercise science. She had a general idea that she wanted to help people and work with athletes, but wasn’t exactly sure of her career path.

“My sophomore year, I was introduced to occupational therapy and it was a field that I didn’t know much about, but really intrigued me,” she reflected. “As I learned more about the profession, I knew I wanted to be an occupational therapist so I could help individuals get back to their activities of daily living.”

After graduating in December 2018, she is currently pursuing her doctorate at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky. “I believe the courses at è��ͷ��, specifically my Exercise Science courses, have truly prepared me for my graduate school program,” Smith observed. “I have had many professors outside the exercise science program to inform me that the coursework we are required to do is graduate level work.”

She added that the professors in the Department of Exercise Science, Dr. Jeff Hartman and Dr. David Granniss, don’t allow their students to settle for mediocrity. “Without their support and preparation, I would not have gotten into graduate school,” Smith stated.

Hartman and Granniss also require students to take career development courses, and she now understands why. “The closer I got to applying for grad school, I realized that most of the work for applications were complete or at least started because of the work I was required to do,” Smith assessed. “è��ͷ�� has an amazing career development program and staff who are extremely willing to help you with your applications and job search. The career development mock interviews and etiquette dinner allowed me to learn appropriate ways to answer interview questions and conduct myself in a professional setting.”

Smith cherishes all the friendships she’s made at è��ͷ�� and the support of a Christian community. “I have never been on a team where we were allowed to pray before games and pray with the other team after our match,” she affirmed. “During these moments, I felt the closest to the Lord and it was really cool to see the impact it had on the other teams. The people at è��ͷ�� are what makes this campus and the four-year experience so amazing.”

She concluded, “I am extremely thankful for the opportunities I have received at GWU. I know that the connections I have made with my professors and classmates will last for years to come.”

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Amanda Sahm ’18

è��ͷ�� University — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 00:35:41 +0000

Alumna is first GWU Exercise Science graduate accepted to Dental School

“è��ͷ�� provided a comfortable place for me to balance my academics, athletics, social life, and spirituality. I have many lifelong friends and lasting memories.”

Amanda Sahm ’18, of Marion, Iowa, is the first exercise science graduate of è��ͷ�� University to be accepted into a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. While accomplishing this milestone, Sahm earned the Senior Scholastic Achievement Award, which is given to a graduating senior with the highest grade point average. A member of the GWU volleyball team, she was also named the Big South 2018 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She believes her academic and scholarly accomplishments are the result of the encouragement and teaching methods of her GWU professors. “Dr. Jeff Hartman and Dr. David Granniss place reasonably high expectations on their students, so they can succeed in the real world,” Sahm offered. “Not only did classes prepare me for graduate school, but also the required professionalism courses and assignments helped me learn how to display myself in a professional setting. Overall, the exercise science program pushed me to see the best in myself.”

Sahm also benefited from her psychology and sociology classes. “It is intriguing to learn how and why people are the way they are,” she observed. “I learned a lot in those classes that I will be able to utilize in my career, because all careers ultimately involve people.”

When she began her studies at è��ͷ��, Sahm couldn’t decide whether to pursue occupational therapy or dentistry. Majoring in exercise science would provide her the pre-requisites for both graduate programs. She chose dentistry after completing an internship in a dental office. “I was able to see the beauty in helping people improve their quality of life by giving them a healthy smile to be confident about,” Sahm related. “I worked with all the dental specialties, and I loved what I saw and all the new stuff I had to learn. I know it’s a profession that is going to constantly challenge me and keep me learning every day.”

Hartman, Granniss and other professors gave her advice on completing her graduate school application and helped her prepare for interviews. “Countless times they would take the time out of their day to help me with my application, an assignment, or just talk about life plans,” she related. “Many professors and staff members were willing to help me make my application strong. They gave me the tools and confidence to display who I was on paper and to answer interview questions efficiently.”

Sahm was introduced to the GWU volleyball program and the Department of Exercise Science by 2016 alumna Anna Pashkova. Pashkova is also from Iowa, and the two athletes had played in the same volleyball club. When Sahm visited GWU, she was impressed by the caring people and beautiful campus.

“I valued the ability to meet so many new and wonderful people, whether classmates, teammates, staff, or professors,” Sahm asserted. “I knew I always had a support system. Also, being so far from home, I became independent and learned who I truly was. è��ͷ�� provided a comfortable place for me to balance my academics, athletics, social life, and spirituality. I have many lifelong friends and lasting memories.”

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Emily Nordberg ’19

è��ͷ�� University — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 00:12:33 +0000

è��ͷ�� senior learns important life lessons while preparing for Physical Therapy School

“My classes are challenging and have provided the necessary coursework to prepare me for physical therapy school.”

Emily Nordberg’s studies at è��ͷ�� University have given her the academic foundation required for graduate school, but equally important is the knowledge she’s gained outside the classroom and as a member of the GWU swim team. “Through relationships with my teammates, my classmates, my professors, and my coaches, I have learned a great deal about myself and how to approach others,” asserted Nordberg, who graduates in 2019. “I have been able to grow as an individual and as a teammate, and it is these lessons that will stay with me after I leave è��ͷ��.”

Those learning opportunities included health problems that kept her from swimming most of her sophomore year. “Through my health issues, I have learned the tremendous impact of others’ support as well as gained a new perspective as to what is really important,” Nordberg observed. “My professors, classmates, coaches, and especially teammates were able to support me, build me up, and pray for me. It has been an amazing experience to swim on a team that competes not for our own glory, but for the glory of God. When your first priority is Jesus Christ, everything else seems to fall into place more easily.”

Nordberg, a native of Woodbridge, Va., came to è��ͷ�� with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. “My classes are challenging and have provided the necessary coursework to prepare me for physical therapy school,” she affirmed. “I found excellent practical advice in Motor Behavior and Strength and Conditioning, taught by Dr. (Jonathan) Ahearn. Because he is a practicing physical therapist, he integrated many examples that he would use in his profession, which was especially interesting to me. Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology, taught by Dr. (David) Granniss, were extremely interesting and further developed my capabilities as a student. And finally, Research Methods, taught by Dr. (Jeff) Hartman, gave me a greater understanding of not only how to develop a study, but also how to find good resources and understand them.”

The coursework culminated in her internship at Performance Physical Therapy in Lorton, Va. “This last experience, one of the most highly emphasized and valued in the major, was integral to my learning process as well as to applying for graduate school,” she assessed. “I was able to combine all of the knowledge I had learned and apply it to a clinical setting.”

She has already been accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Wingate (N.C.) University and credits her success to the support of her exercise science professors and the insight of Hartman, who was also her academic adviser. “Throughout my undergraduate career he gave me advice that was helpful for me to achieve my goal of acceptance into a graduate program,” she related. “Even as early as my freshman year, he encouraged me to observe in a physical therapy clinic in order to gain more practical experience. In addition, he gave me a recommendation for my graduate school application that was an important part of my acceptance.”

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