Kinesiology, Health & Sport science Internship & Career Opportunities

"Adidas is the second largest sportswear apparel company in the world behind Nike. I am responsible for 38 NCAA adidas licensed schools in making sure adidas apparel and shoes land on campus for all fans, students and faculty. This includes both gameday apparel and campus bookstore apparel. Clear communication is a skill I use on a day-to-day basis and was also a key focus in my time at UIndy. The UIndy Sport Management professors taught me that gaining experience by volunteering my time and making the right connections in the field would be a big key in having a successful career in sports."

“Coming in as a transfer student, the professors here at UIndy welcomed me with open arms. The Sport Management program has taught me the necessary skills to make a real impact in the sports industry. I received guidance along my journey here in this program that was above and beyond what I would have expected. I am more than grateful to receive the opportunities from networking events to internship experiences that greatly assisted with my personal and professional development. The UIndy Sport Management program has been very supportive and helpful throughout my years here and has prepared me with my own endeavors to gain entry within the sports industry.”

Exercise science major and Kenya native Akim Nyormoi interned with a physical and occupational therapist at Select Physical Therapy in Indianapolis.

"I went into my internship with a great base of knowledge. I was able to combine essentially my entire academic experience and apply it practically in the clinic," he says.

Akim has taken advantage of other off-campus opportunities volunteering with the Special Olympics of Indiana and Rock Steady Boxing. "Volunteering with both organizations allowed me to work with some really great people with varying degrees of disabilities. I learned to look past what people couldn't do and focus on what they could do."

This semester, Akim will partner with Dr. Robinson and two other students on getting approval from the Institutional Review Board to conduct biomechanics research into the battling ropes training system. If approved, he says, the goal is to publish their findings.

Health and physical education graduate Brandon Bangel is not only teaching at Whiteland High School in Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation, but he is also the assistant athletic director and head coach of the girls cross country team and both the boys and girls track and field teams. To add to his credits, he was named the Mid-State Athletic Conference Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year for 2011 and 2012.

Brandon transferred to UIndy his sophomore year because he felt it was a better fit for him and he wanted to run track. Compared with larger state schools, he knew that UIndy offered smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction and faculty who were more available to help students outside of class.

"The UIndy faculty genuinely cares about their students...They balance care and expectations for success."

Brandon said his professors provided individual help and classroom formats that allowed for student-led discussion of current issues and philosophical topics, and that his courses prepared him for his field experience in various school environments.

Brandon advises current and future students to take advantage of field experience and to treat it as if it were a job interview. When Brandon completed his field experience at Roncalli High School, he did more than what was expected and impressed the principal. In turn, the principal became a reference and talked to other schools about his good work.

Alumna Michelle Kruse currently serves as director of operations and programs for the non-profit organization Sante Haiti, which provides primary healthcare services and health education to the underserved population in Haiti. As a graduate of the community health education and pre-med programs at UIndy, she is also continuing her career goals in medical school at St. George's University.

Along with managing the organization of Sante Haite, Michelle develops programs to help prevent common infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, communicates with volunteers for trips to Haiti, and oversees the expansion of the organization and program development.

Michelle talks about how her internship at Gennesaret Free Clinic and class projects during her time at UIndy prepared her for position at Sante Haiti. "I gained not only clinic experience but also community health experience by developing programs relating to chronic illnesses and prevention techniques relating to breast cancer," she said. "Throughout my time at UIndy, we did several projects for the community which gave me the experience I needed to enter the workforce. Without these class projects, I would not have had the confidence to build a non-profit and work with other physicians to expand Sante Haiti."

For current and future community health education majors, Michelle recommends gaining as much experience as possible before graduating. "I would understand what you want to do with your degree and then take several steps over the next four years to make connections within your field. For example, if you want to do non-profit work, make sure you volunteer, intern and create your projects around that field. Let your résumé reflect your passion."