Student Spotlight Jordyn Lovett

During my college application process, I knew I wanted to study sport psychology, and I knew I wanted to go somewhere that had a club gymnastics team. In my search, I found two universities that had a sport psychology-focused undergraduate program, but only one also had club gymnastics. I toured WVU the summer before my junior year of high school and absolutely loved it. After that tour, I was sure that WVU was going to be the right choice for me. The surrounding area is gorgeous and honestly, strongly reminded me of home. I applied during the fall of my senior year, got in a few weeks later, and immediately accepted the admissions offer.

When I toured, one of my tour leaders happened to be a Sport and Exercise Psychology student, and he had nothing but great things to say about the program. He talked about how supportive all of the faculty are, the numerous opportunities available to students, and the advantages of getting an undergraduate degree in SEPP. I ended up choosing the SEPP program because I knew I wanted to set myself up well for graduate school, and WVU checked all those boxes.

I think what separates this program is the wide availability of out-of-class opportunities. There are many opportunities to pursue applied and hands-on experiences, including peer advising, research, and shadowing. With these opportunities available, I was able to connect the concepts I was learning in class to my experiences outside of class. I was also able to use those outside experiences to become a better participant in class.

This program also has a strong network, and not just in undergrad. Because WVU also has a PhD program for SEPP, I've been able to connect and interact with people who have recently gone through the things that I'm going through. When I was first researching and applying to grad schools, talking to several of the SEPP PhD students really helped ease my mind and made me feel more comfortable going into the whole thing.

About halfway through my freshman year, my advisor and I realized that I had enough credits coming in from high school to be able to graduate in three years. As we talked more, it became clear that I had two options: graduate in three years and pick up a minor (to fulfill graduation requirements) or pick up a couple of minors (or a second major) and graduate on time. The option to graduate early honestly gave me the ability to spread my schedule out a bit, and I realized that I'd be able to engage in more applied learning experiences.

Having only three years in undergraduate, I found that if I wanted to be involved in a certain opportunity, I needed to make it happen as soon as possible. I was always someone who would put off asking about opportunities until it was almost too late, and there were opportunities that I missed out on because of it. I've learned to reach out soon (and often), especially if it is something that I really want.

The experience that shaped my time at WVU the most was peer advising. I was an SEPP peer advisor for three semesters, and it was one of those experiences that would've been the last thing freshman me chose to do. Over those three semesters, I could truly see the growth in my confidence, especially through the "lecture" that I would have to present for each semester.

Last summer, I got to participate in a shadowing experience with WVU Athletics youth sports camps. I shadowed several SEPP PhD students as they planned, delivered, and debriefed mental performance enhancement sessions for youth athletes participating in summer camps for a number of sports, including soccer, baseball, and rifle. This allowed me to experience what it's like to plan and execute a session for a group of athletes, regardless of age. I saw the importance of flexibility and thinking on your feet, and developed some strong connections during the program.

"Slow down and enjoy what's around you."

I spent a lot of time in high school and my first year of undergrad trying to do as much as possible, all the time. As a result, I was also stressed and overwhelmed all the time. In my second year, I met some really great people who reminded me to slow down and give myself a break. To this day, these are the people I go to when I'm feeling stressed and in over my head. Without fail, they're able to help me see the positives that exist around me every time. I also took a class on mindfulness (HWB 359) last semester that really helped me live in the present and take life one moment at a time, and I can confidently say that I've become much less stressed all the time as a result.

Following graduation, I will be continuing my education this fall at the University of Illinois-Chicago, pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in Performance, Sport, and Exercise Psychology. While at UIC, I will be completing coursework and supervised consulting hours in pursuit of my certification as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC).

To me, earning this degree is the first step toward my goal of helping athletes achieve stronger mental performance within their sport. During my own sports career, I dealt with a number of mental setbacks, which were what prompted me to pursue this degree and career. I want this degree to show the gymnasts at my home gym that there are people out there that can help them work through mental blocks and setbacks by teaching them mental performance skills. I also want this degree to serve as an introduction to a field that many people don't know exists. I heard of sport psychology for the first time in my junior year of high school, and I know my gymnastics experience would've been much different if I'd known about it sooner. I want the athletes I work with (both currently and in the future) to know that there are ways to work through the mental struggles of gymnastics rather than losing hope and quitting the sport.

This program has given me a strong foundation of knowledge in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In grad school, many of my "intro" courses will include concepts and information that I learned in undergrad, which means I can spend more time learning how to directly apply those concepts to real-world situations. The hands-on experiences that I got to participate in through my program, such as peer advising and shadowing, have prepared me for the applied work I will do in grad school. The skills I gained from shadowing will be especially helpful once I start consulting. One of my main goals for grad school is to secure a Graduate Teaching Assistant position in my second year, and my time as a peer advisor will not only make me a good candidate for the position but also help me be successful in that role.

The best thing about being a Mountaineer is the lifelong, widespread community. I was visiting my best friend back home in Washington a couple of summers ago, and I met someone who had gone to WVU. We were just at a random grocery store, and I happened to be wearing a WVU shirt. We talked for a little bit about our experiences at WVU, and I remember turning to my friend afterwards and saying, "Who would've thought I'd meet someone from WVU all the way out here?" Since then, I've run into several former, current, and future Mountaineers in various places outside of West Virginia.

In the future, I know that I will continue to be supported by this strong network. Moving all the way across the country from my hometown, I wasn't sure how much WVU was going to feel like home. After three years here, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I've unexpectedly fallen in love with the people here, the university, and the state, and I'm sad to leave so soon. However, I know that in whatever I do, there will always be a strong, supportive community behind me, and because of that, I am grateful to call myself a Mountaineer.