Kinesiology & Recreation
What role does kinesiology and recreation have in community and economic development?
"Sports and development is a newer field in community and economic development. There are a lot of great programs out there, for instance, Girls on the Run, which is a national and international program. They empower girls at a young age through running activities to be the best they can be, while teaching them how to deal with peer pressure and how they can help their own community. Programs like that is what I see myself doing in the future. There's also a lot of programs that work with refugees, people with disabilities and other underrepresented populations to help people become a part of everyday communities through sports and leisure."
How does the Stevenson Center cohort impact your graduate experience?
"The cohort impacts my experience because everyone has done community development work in some aspect. Whether it's Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or other work that has motivated them to join Peace Corps. Everyone brings something different to the table, which we can all learn from. It's refreshing that we can all relate to each other even though we come from very different backgrounds and experiences."
Student:
Lauren Troxtel
Hometown:
Wixom, Michigan
Undergraduate Degree:
Public Health & Promotion, Nutrition
Central Michigan Unitersity (2012)
Stevenson Center Program:
Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellow
Served in Ethiopia
How does the Stevenson Center’s program shape your graduate experience?
"The Stevenson Center provides opportunities to hear from various backgrounds with presentations from speakers throughout the year. You get to take the core classes, then your own department specific classes. They allow you to apply what you've been learning across different disciplines. Everyone that works there is super supportive. They are always willing to meet with you."​
Graduate Assistantship
Lauren's graduate assistantship is teaching the Active for Life Program. These 1-hour credit classes provide instruction on fundamental knowledge, activity program design and development, and skills for a variety of physical activities and sports, while also providing students an opportunity to develop fitness skills. Lauren teaches 8 classes during each semester. This semester she has created daily lesson plans for teaching 4 weight training classes, 2 cycling classes and has designed and implemented an Adventure Education class.
Former Service Experience
Lauren served as a Community Health Volunteer in Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia and was involved in multiple community development projects. She worked with the Disabilities Association in Adwa to create a perma-garden to enhance land efficiently, which allowed members to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. She also worked with projects in design management training, HIV/Aids awareness trainings, organized gender clubs and taught English to children.
