The Path to a Dream job: From Columbus to Pittsburgh to Ann Arbor
Christie-Lee Miller may be from Pittsburgh, but she's a big fan of the city of Columbus. Ohio's capital city is one of the many things that attracted her to Capital University in 2004.
"Columbus is pretty awesome, and you're only five minutes from downtown," she said. Other big draws were the ability to study athletic training while participating as a track and field student-athlete and the large number of internship opportunities in the area. Not to be overlooked, the small class sizes were a big plus as well.
Today, Miller is work at her dream job as an athletic trainer at the University of Michigan, where she has worked with the women's lacrosse, track and field and cross country teams. Prior to accepting the position at a major university, Miller interned with the Columbus Crew and the Columbus Destroyers, and at summer camps at The Ohio State University. After earning her undergraduate degree in athletic training from Capital, she went on to obtain a master's degree in sports medicine and nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh.
Even though Miller is living her dream at a Big Ten school, don't be fooled. She is a strong advocate for the individual attention and small classes Capital provided. "You get as much or more experience at Capital," she said. "Because it's a smaller school, you have more access and opportunity to work closely with the head athletic trainer."
The Best Decision of My Life
Kelly Leonard will graduate from Capital University this spring, which makes this a time to plan for tomorrow, but also a time to reflect on today.
"Coming here was the best decision of my life," Leonard said about choosing the athletic training program at Capital. "I would do it all over again. I'm sad that I only have one semester left."
For the past four years, Leonard has been pursuing a degree in athletic training while also playing on the women's volleyball team. Both are commitments that require a hefty dose of time management. This past summer she took advantage of another opportunity — interning in the Sports Metrics Program at Cincinnati Sports Medicine, where she worked closely with high school athletes. "It gave me a better look at the different groups of people you can serve and the variety of settings you can work in," she said. "I worked with specific sports teams, so I was doing conditioning and working with the high school athletes."
With graduation just a few months away, Leonard is focused on the next step she need to take to achieve her educational and professional goals: a master's degree. She's currently applying to graduate schools, and hopes to land a graduate assistantship in athletic training while earning her master's. Both will move her father along the path toward her long-term goal of working at a college. As the process unfolds, Leonard can't help but express her gratitude for the many people who helped her through the undergraduate years. "I really enjoyed the professors here at Capital," she says. "Bonnie (Goodwin) is always willing to help any student."