Ten undergraduate students in a variety of Health Sciences majors spent spring break in Florida on a professional exploration experience.

According to Professor Hubert Lee, the students met athletic trainers, physical therapists and strength coaches from non-traditional settings, including ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, Kennedy Space Center, the WWE Performance Center, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

At ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, trainers, therapists and EMTs treat thousands of athletes monthly who come from all over the world to compete there, mainly in youth sports.

Kennedy Space Center runs a rehabilitation center that treats its more than 15,000 employees. The staff oversees health education, injury prevention, and rehab programs. The center even has contracts with Space X and Blue Horizon to treat their employees

The physical therapist and athletic trainer at the WWE Performance Center explained to the students what it’s like to work with professional athletes in a multibillion-dollar industry.

During a Phillies spring training game, their physical therapist explained how she works in collaboration with athletic trainers and doctors to treat the players on a team with a large roster.

Ashanti Hastings-Chapman enjoyed the visit to the Kennedy Space Center. “I found it very engaging listening to the athletic trainer talk about how physical conditioning and injury prevention play a crucial role in both sports and space missions. It was really nice to get a firsthand look at space exploration history, the cutting-edge technology, and astronaut training as well.”

ESPN got Aamirah Alford’s attention because of its size and clientele. “I liked the family aspect of the parents being involved with their kids’ sports and how clean and beautiful the facilities and environment were.”

Dariana Troilo, about to graduate with a master’s degree in athletic training, helped guide students through the various stops. “I enjoyed sharing my own experiences as a graduate student, answering their questions about graduate programming, and offering advice on navigating their academic and professional paths. It was great to watch them begin to understand what life in their chosen careers could look like.”