Happy Halloween, Profs!
This week, our campus celebrity is a girl who often works behind the scenes, but makes a big difference in all that she is involved in. Meet Kaitlyn Meddick!
Kait is a senior in the Health Promotion/Wellness Management program who likes staying active through sports such as tennis, and who has talent off the courts in the musical realm – she’s played the flute for eleven years!
At Rowan, not only is Kait a student, she is also a diligent Rec Center employee! She has worked in various areas as a program monitor, a fitness area assistant, a certified group fitness cycling instructor, and a fitness instructor for the summer day camp Kid’s Rule! Currently, after years of hard work, she is the fitness area supervisor, but can still work in all the other areas if need be. One day over the summer, she even braved taking on a main office shift to help out when staff was low! Kait has also made an effort to get her fellow Rowan students involved in fitness. In case you missed it, the past few weeks have been Fall Into Fitness at the Rec, a program Kait has helped plan and implement for two years! Along with her impressive work experience, Kait also holds CPS, First Aid, and AED certifications.
But, her devotion to the Rec Center doesn’t stop with just her jobs. She is also actively involved in RIRSA – Rowan Intramural Sports Association – as the President! RIRSA is a club that offers professional develop opportunities, participates in community service, fundraises, volunteers, plans events and more. Kait found her way to this association when she first started working at the Rec Center her sophomore year. She says “I was at training for the Rec Center and sign ups went around for the different clubs and groups. I knew I loved the Rec Center and that RIRSA was always involved in volunteering at events so I signed up.” Kait quickly made her impact on the club, securing the SGA representative position right away, the moving up to secretary soon after, then vice president the year after, until this year when she became the president!
Part of her efforts in RIRSA have included cooking dinner for the resident of Ronald McDonald house, helping at a dance for cystic fibrosis, and planning a 5k run that benefits special Olympics called Miles for Medals. Miles for Medals is currently in full tow, and if you are interested in signing up ($15 for students, $20 for non-students), whether you want to donate or participate in the 5k run/walk, stop in at the Main Office!
Through all that she does, Kait is determined to promote health and wellness to students both on and off campus. Her tactics include teaching spin, and others are just working with RIRSA to bring a healthy lifestyle to Rowan.
Some major accomplishments of Kait’s include in general, growing up while she’s been at Rowan. “When I started at the Rec I would have told you that you would never see me teach a group fitness class or become president of a club. I learned to live life outside my comfort zone. I take every new opportunity I can to grow and gain new experiences.” Although, if Kait could, she would go back to her freshman year and try to get involved in the same activities then, so she could have more time to enjoy the experiences.
Kait would not have reached her goals without accomplishing some major milestones first. It all started when she changed her major, and joined RISA. Then she took up teaching group fitness, and slowly worked her way up to supervisor. Through RIRSA, she also attends NIRSA (National Intramural Recreation Sports Association) conferences, and is heavily involved all around campus. Through all of this, she meets a lot of new people who become important roles in her life.
But, Kait doesn’t plan to end her journey anytime soon! She hopes to attend graduate school for nutrition and obtain a graduate assistantship to give her as much experience as possible.
So how can you be as successful as Kait? She let us in on her successful habit secrets… “I stay organized with my planner. I write everything from homework, to meetings, to work down. On days I have a lot I make a To Do lis. It helps me set my priorities and feels good to cross things off once they’re done.”
Well, there you have it! A campus celebrity who, like so many before her, is doing everything in her power to give back and empower others. We are very proud of you, Kait! Keep doing you!
For more information on Miles for Medals and Kait’s Spin classes, please see below:
Spin Class (Second Floor, Spin Room @ The Rec):
Mondays: 9:30am-10:15
Wednesday: 12:30-1:15
Thursday: 5-5:45pm
Miles for Medals:
What? A 5k run/walk, all proceeds go towards the Special Olympics.
When? Saturday, November 7th at 10:30am
How? Stop in at the Rec Center and ask to fill out a form!
How much: $15/students, $20/non-students
You can run/walk, or you can just donate! It’s up to you!
Stay tuned, more from Rec Employees coming soon!