Graduate Student Highlights

Every year, The Graduate College celebrates this community with a week-long event: Graduate Student Appreciation Week, which recognizes the contributions, impact, and value of our graduate and professional students. To celebrate, the College of Education would like to recognize some of our outstanding Health and Human Performance Graduate Students. Read below to meet some of our students.

Leslie Adamson - M.S. in Exercise Science, concentration in Physical Activity Literacy

What are your career goals after completing your graduate degree?

After completing my graduate degree, I will utilize my knowledge and expertise as the Physical Education Coordinator of the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, impacting my students, teachers, and families in the community!

What do you like best about your graduate program at TXST?

I had great relationships with my professors and the in-person classes were filled with hands-on labs and connections to real-world situations that were interesting, applicable to my current profession, and led me to further my research.

What advice do you have for future TXST students who want to be a part of your degree program here?

I advise you to talk to the professors in the department to discover all of the different paths available. Continue those relationships with the professors that share similar interests with you and don't hesitate to ask questions. They are extremely helpful and were once in your shoes too.

Sunehra Shamsuddin - M.S.R.L.S. in Therapeutic Recreation

What are your career goals after completing your graduate degree?

My short-term goals include getting more experience as a Recreational Therapist in psych/behavioral health settings which will benefit my long-term goals in implementing a trauma-focused lens on holistic treatment across multiple disciplines in mental health care.

What do you like best about your graduate program at TXST?

My program functions under a small cohort setting which has given me a lovely group of fellow graduate students and a sense of community during a challenge season of life such as grad school. The supportive faculty and students at TXST are the backbone of my positive experience in the program, and I feel honored to have learned along side them.

What advice do you have for future TXST students who want to be a part of your degree program here?

Explore your interests outside of school. You will always have assignments and deadlines, but finding a balance between school and your personal life is crucial to avoid burnout. It will take trial and error, but just keep trying to find a balance between the two.

Arden Weninger - M.S. in Exercise Science, concentration in Physical Activity Literacy

What are your career goals after completing your graduate degree?

After I complete my graduate degree, I would like to become an athletic trainer for a Division I university and work with either a baseball or volleyball team. I also have a goal to obtain my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification (CSCS).

What do you like best about your graduate program at TXST?

I like that my graduate program is applicable to my work as a graduate assistant athletic trainer. I specifically chose this field of study to enhance my skills as an athletic trainer and assist me in my pursuit of obtaining my CSCS. The things I am studying directly apply to my work as an athletic trainer, which makes my graduate studies interesting and enjoyable.

What advice do you have for future TXST students who want to be a part of your degree program here?

My advice to future TXST students would be to choose a degree program that is of interest to you and that can directly impact and complement your desired career path. Additionally, take advantage of the variety of courses offered in this program - you truly can individualize your graduate studies to topics and courses that are of interest to you.