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Even though Kyle Wilson is one of the most well-known athletic trainers in the country, his initial journey into the industry was not smooth sailing. 

Wilson, BS ’82, Secondary Education with an emphasis in athletic training, WVU, M.A.Ed ’84, minor in psychology, Nicholls State (Louisiana), received his share of rejection letters.

Minor League Baseball prioritizes the ballpark experience.

Enhancing the ballpark experience is in WVU graduate Vince Marcucci’s job description. Marcucci serves as director of corporate and community affairs for the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder.

For Melinda Grant, everything she does is a labor of love.

Grant, who graduated from WVU CPASS twice, first with a B.S. in Physical Education Teacher Education in 1976 and then a master’s in PETE in 1978, found that one way she could give back to CPASS was to donate her time and effort.

When JT Mellendick was pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Coaching Education, he couldn’t imagine being far from the field.

“During undergrad, I interned with the [WVU] baseball staff at Pro Performance in Morgantown,” Mellendick said. “During that internship, I worked with several high school athletes that went on to play Division I baseball and that really prepared me for working with baseball student-athletes.”

On any given Washington Husky game day, John Terry is at the stadium.

He parks his vehicle in the lot before the fans arrive and leaves hours after the parking lots clear and the fanbase goes home.

Black, green and gold: the colors Keith Ricci grew up wearing.

Ricci, who was raised 90 minutes from TD Garden, Boston, knew from a young age that he wanted to surround himself with Boston sports. When he graduated from WVU CPASS in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, he set out to begin his career in the industry.

For Nolan Harvath, being on the field and surrounded by sports was the ideal life. He grew up playing soccer and decided that he wanted to prepare for the college recruitment process.

Brian VanDongen believes in improving sports for all age groups, while enhancing youth athletic development in an age-appropriate manner. VanDongen featured the recreation professional’s critical role in play for children at his presentation during the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association March 2018 conference.

Thanks to everyone who came out to my talk on the recreation professional's role in play for children. Hope you are able to use the information in your communities! #NJRPA18 cc: @USPlayCoalition @NJRPA pic.twitter.com/G9597tyF5i

David Keiling has excelled in his career as a physical education health teacher in Frederick County (Md.) Public Schools. Keiling earned two degrees from WVU CPASS, his physical education teacher education undergraduate degree in 2009 and masters in physical education in 2015. He credits his WVU education as playing a critical role in helping him achieve numerous leadership roles to date. 

Keiling caught up recently with CPASS Professor Sean Bulger to share his good news. “I can honestly say I would not be writing this email about all the great things that have come my way if you and the rest of my professors had not instilled in me the work ethic, knowledge and confidence that I use every day in my career. Thank you for making me the professional physical educator I am today,” Keiling wrote. 

Jesse Michel earned his Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2013. Michel, who is from Los Angeles, went straight to work for the military as the lead master resilience trainer, performance expert at the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) Training Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The mission of CSF2 is to teach resilience, sport and performance psychology skills to U.S. Army Soldiers, family members and Department of Army civilians around the world. 

“While with CSF2, I provided hands-on mental training and self-development tools so that members of the Army family were better able to cope with adversity, perform better in stressful situations and thrive on and off the battlefield,” Michel explained.